


The Three Women Of Durin

by MANG0



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit RPF, The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien, middle earth - Fandom
Genre: All-Knowing Balin, Amused Gandalf, Angry Elrond, Angry Thorin Oakenshield, Angry Thranduil, Angst, Asshole Gandalf, Asshole Thranduil, Awesome Balin (Tolkien), Awesome Bombur, Awesome Dwalin, Awesome Galadriel, Balin Is So Done, Battle of Five Armies, Battle of Five Armies Fix-It, Bifur Is a Sweetheart, Bifur's Axe Injury, Bilbo Baggins Returns to Erebor, Bilbo is So Done, Bofur is a Sweetheart, Bofur's Hat - Freeform, Character Death, Death, Durin Family, Durin Family Feels, During The Hobbit, Dwalin & Thorin Oakenshield Friendship, Dwalin Is A Softie, Erebor, Erebor Reclaimed, Eventual Fluff, F/M, Family Fluff, Fili/OC - Freeform, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Crack, Fluff and Humor, Gandalf Is So Done, Gandalf Is a Little Shit, Gandalf Knows All, Gandalf Likes to Keep Secrets, Gandalf Meddles, Gandalf is a Troll, Hobbiton, Hobbits, Kili/Oc - Freeform, King Thorin, Legolas Greenleaf & Tauriel Friendship, Lovely Bofur, Middle Earth with Technology, Modern Character in Middle Earth, Modern Girl in Middle Earth, Nori is a Little Shit, Oblivious Bilbo, Out of Character Legolas Greenleaf, Overprotective Thorin, Overprotective Thranduil, Parent Elrond, Parent Thranduil, Party King Thranduil, Poor Bilbo, Poor Elrond, Possessive Thorin, Protective Dori, Protective Dwalin, Protective Elrond, Protective Legolas Greenleaf, Protective Thorin, Protective Thranduil, Rebuilding Erebor, Return to Erebor, Romantic Fluff, Sassy Bilbo Baggins, Sassy Gandalf, Sneaky Gandalf, Spoilers for Battle of Five Armies, Spoilers for Desolation of Smaug, Stubborn Dwarves, Sweet Bofur, The Hobbit - Freeform, There and Back Again, Thorin Feels, Thorin Has No Sense Of Direction, Thorins voice, Thranduil Not Being An Asshole, smut?, thorin/oc - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-08
Updated: 2018-08-22
Packaged: 2018-09-15 18:10:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 58
Words: 148,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9249728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MANG0/pseuds/MANG0
Summary: Three girls: Rosie, Frankie and Cece find themselves rolling off the side of a road and crashing in a thicket of trees. It's a tumble downhill, full of bumps, bruises but thankfully, no broken bones. Waking up from the crash, they find themselves somewhere magical, mysterious and that was certainly not home. Discovered by a strange-looking man, he leads them back to the main road...of Middle Earth.They are in the story of The Hobbit, trapped and unsure of how to get back. They are then faced with the fact that they will not be going home any time soon, so will they help the dwarves reclaim theirs?





	1. An Awakening

  _Okay, before I start this story, I'd just like to say that what happened, happened. We had no idea how to get back, or what to do really. We cannot be sorry for the changes we made. We only did what we thought was right._

* * *

 "Okay, if you two don't shut the hell up, I'm coming back there myself!" Rosie growled through gritted teeth as her patience wore thin with her best friends. Those friends in question were currently sat in the back of the crappy rental car, squabbling. The three of them were going on a road trip to the theme park in the next town, a trip that was supposed to be a treat. Frankie and Cece had argued the main part of the journey to the car on who was to be riding shotgun for Rosie to eventually decide that no one was going to, and then they continued to argue inside the car on who got to play their music, Rosie again shut the argument down by simply turning on the radio.

 " _Rosie_ , pull over," Cece suddenly piped from the back, she wrapped her nimble fingers around Rosie's head rest and swung around so that her long golden hair now dangled on top of the gear stick.

 "Cece if you need to pee again, I swear to god -" Rosie began her frustration getting the better of her as she batted Cece's hair away. Don't get me wrong, Rosie loved her friends more than she would ever let on, but no quality friendships last without the odd fight here and there.

 "No, no, I was wanting to take a photo," Cece smiled sweetly, she had that niceness about her that never seemed to perish, it was both a gift and a curse. Rosie sighed at this, however, turned the wheel and slowly brought the rustic Saturn to a halt. The three of them were on their very first holiday, in England, which all though had a few grey clouds and was infinitely colder than America, was pretty damn photogenic.

 However, you could say that Rosie had gotten used to the rolling, green hills and grey sun because she had lived here for fifteen years. However, her parents had made the decision to move to America, where they would be closer to her dad's side of the family. Moving to America had ultimately been both the best and worst thing to ever happen to Rosie because that's where she just so happened to meet Frankie and Cece who have ultimately have made her life so beautifully blissful yet so fiercely frustrating.

 "Okay, come on girlies, back in the car, let's get going," Rosie smiled at her friends from where she leaned lazily on the bonnet, they each clambered back in the car, still with Rosie in the front and Frankie and Cece in the back. After arguing some more about what music to play, Rosie turned on the radio once more and rolled down the windows, the crisp, clean air flooding into the car causing their hair and clothes to dance to the music. It wasn't too long until they joined in with the voice on the radio, belting out the words, singing loudly and very out of tune. They continued like this for a while, enjoying the happy moment which in itself was small, but to them was memorable, when it happened.

 The car, it came out of nowhere.  
Nowhere.  
It wasn't their fault, anyone could tell that.  
But they're the ones who paid for it.

 Rosie's whole body froze with fear when she drove over the hill, the cars headlights glaring at her like the eyes of a bull charging straight for her. Without thinking, she jerked the wheel to the left where she thought she was driving her and her friends to safety. However, the thicket of tall trees she then drove into proved her wrong. They lurched downhill, their happy songs turning into piercing screams, their music now a million miles away. The trees and wildlife flew past them, some branches even getting caught on the open windows. A particularly low branch slammed against the windshield, shattering it. Rosie managed to cover her face just in time but still felt the edges of shards make their way into her hair and cut her arm. Rosie slammed her foot on the brakes so hard that the impact shuddered through the rest of her body. It was a shame because she was a split-second too late. By the time Rosie's foot met with the pedal the car had crashed into what could only be a thick, towering tree. The sickening smell of gas filled her lungs, the screams of the three girls dying out sickeningly quick, the taste of burning rubber filled the air and the feel of broken metal and shattered glass pierced their bodies. All turned dark. 

* * *

Everything seemed to hurt in its own way. Her lungs burned, her joints ached and her skin stung. But, she could feel. Slowly she shifted awkwardly from where she was lying down, the crunch of glass following her as she moved. She opened her eyes and after a moment of blinding, white light she saw tall trees reaching for the sky above her, she was alive, she was okay. Looking down at her body, she saw bruises and cuts, some awkward lumps and bumps but no broken bones, thank God. Carefully, she sat up feeling her breath rattling in her chest. Tentatively she raised a hand, pressing her fingertips to her throbbing temple before running her fingers through her short, shoulder length brown hair where she managed to pick out some of the larger shards of glass.

 Looking behind her she found the wreckage that was the rustic Saturn. Shit, Rosie thought as she scrambled up and towards the mess of steel and glass ignoring the painful sensation this caused through her body. Like she thought, the car had crashed into a thick tree, however, the impact must have caused her to break through her seatbelt and go flying through the already smashed windshield. Ater attempting to open the doors with little success she decided that the only way she was going to get in was by climbing through the hole in the windshield.

 Pulling herself onto what was left of the bonnet, she made her way through the mess. Almost instantly, she saw the long blonde hair of Cece and the curly afro of Frankie. She clawed her way to the back seat feeling the odd sting when her bare skin was cut by sharp, broken material.

 Rosie reached out and wrapped her fingers around the closest hand, which just so happened to be the hand of Frankie. For a moment, she stayed a still as she possibly could, holding her breath as she waited to hear it. And then there it was, the steady, shaky breath of both girls. Slowly, Rosie moved further forward now placing both hands on Frankie and began to shake her, hoping she would wake up, she didn't, but she was breathing, she was breathing.

 Rosie looked behind her, contemplating on whether it was worth dragging Frankie all the way over the two seats and back through the windshield. Deciding against it, she raised her foot and kicked as hard as she could against the cracked window that was closest and carefully cleared away all the small pieces of glass. She then climbed out herself first before wrapping her arms under Frankie's armpit and pulling her out with as much caution as possible. When she had managed to get Frankie onto the soft grass she found herself still pulling her away. She dragged Frankie's limp body further and further away from the wreckage until she was satisfied. Then she stood up and made her way back to the car for her other best friend.

 Cece was in more of a state, part of the car had crushed down on top of her right-hand side, a tree branch had fallen from when they crashed into the tree and Cece had paid for that. Rosie had to use all her remaining strength to lift what she could of the roof and with shaky arms pull Cece's limp form out. Cece was the only one bleeding badly, she had a long cut on her right arm which was, thankfully, not bleeding too much, but unfortunately, she too was unconscious.

 Sighing, Rosie lifted her hand and wiped away some beads of sweat that had formed on her forehead before deciding to go and find help. Turning around she began walking the way the car came, her legs feeling as if someone had poured rocks into her shoes, and an overwhelming tiredness thrumming through her body. It wasn't too long before she realised something was off. There were no tracks where the car had been driven off the road, and the land was pretty much flat, even though she could distinctly remember driving downhill. Not being able to find the road they were driving on, she made her way back to her unconscious friends.

 They lay side by side, slowly breathing. It dawned on Rosie that if someone were to walk past they would simply look as if they were taking a nap in the woods. She then realised that someone was probably coming, there were a few drivers on the road at that point of time, someone must have seen them crash. Rosie looked down at her friends before making sure they were in the safe position before she moved about a foot back and rested against a tree.

 Then, she began to shake, she couldn't believe it, she crashed a fucking rental car and almost killed her best friends. Why did she swerve so harshly? If she did it a bit calmer they wouldn't have gone so far. Now they were in a mess because of her and she couldn't find the way back. Before she could stop herself, a sob escaped her lips, and then she realised there was no one around to hear her cry, so she let go.

 She cried long and hard, reaching out and grasping onto the fingers of her unconscious friends, she cried until her throat was raw, had no more tears left and had lost her voice. When she quieted down a silence filled the air, it was heavy and crushingly lonely. Then, the snapping of some twigs nearby alerted her, people. Jumping up she turned around, hope spreading through her chest like fire, she was going to be safe.

 However, what she didn't expect was to see a very strange man emerge from the bushes, dressed as if he was from another world.

 He was taller than her, by about an inch, but the way his body was proportioned you'd think he would be shorter. He had large feet wrapped in, what looked like, space boots and was wearing a long oversized brown shirt with brown trousers, a belt, and cape, he had crazy untamed black hair and very long grey beard where white and black braids were knotted in place. But the weirdest thing of all was the droning sense of familiarity that nagged at the back of Rosie's mind when she saw him, oh and the large scythe he was carrying.

 "Hello?" She said in a questioning voice, realising how she too must look crazy in his eyes, all bruised and battered and some lovely new fresh cuts from crawling through glass whilst standing next to two unconscious bodies. The strange man didn't respond, his eyes were steady and calm as he looked her over. He seemed to be going somewhere, with a sort of backpack on his shoulders, maybe he didn't hear the crash? "I know I must look mad but can you help me?" She pleaded.

 He didn't say anything for a few antagonizing moments, then he nodded. "As you can see me and my friends here," she gestured to the unconscious bodies at her feet, "Have had a car crash and they're unconscious and I think we need a doctor and I just can't find the main road." Rosie rambled, hoping that some of what she was saying was getting through to him. The phrase ‘main road' appeared to grab his attention judging by the fact that he began making sudden hand gestures which looked like signing. The pin dropped in Rosie's mind. "Oh, um, sorry I didn't, um…never mind. Can you lead us to the main road," She asked sweetly, mentally cursing for not realising that this man was deaf. Once again, he nodded. "And if it isn't a trouble can you call an ambulance," She said, he raised an eyebrow. "Oh um, can you get some medical help for me and my friends," She gestured once again to the unconscious bodies at her feet. This didn't seem to get to him, however, he did begin walking closer to Rosie, a limp in his step.

 Rosie felt herself freeze up, a small ball of fear growing in her gut the closer he got. One of the last things she expected him to do was bend down and throw Frankie's limp form over his shoulder as if she weighed nothing more than a bag of feathers. Rosie then looked down at Cece and then back at this man wondering if he expected her to do the same. However, he bent down again and before Rosie knew it, Cece was on his other shoulder. Getting lost in thought as she watched him do this, Rosie didn't even notice him walking away, set and ready for the journey to the main road. Rosie went to follow him when she remembered.

 "Oh, sorry can you just pause a moment," She called after him, he turned around and looked at her, an eyebrow raised. She scrambled back to the car and picked out everything that was theirs: phones (Cece's was unfortunately smashed), bags, scraps of food and a bottle of water, and finally her sunglasses. She was more cautious this time of traveling around the wreckage, shuddering as the image of the car's headlights heading straight for her came to mind. She clambered back out wearing three bags and holding a large assortment of items. If possible, this man's eyebrow raised even further, he then turned around and walked back into the bushes. She followed and they walked in silence.

* * *

Rosie felt like she had been walking for years when they reached a small path, she was sure the car hadn't travelled this far into the woods but she could not be sure. Anyways, she trusted this man, he seemed friendly, even though he did not talk, he carried her best friends without complaint. For a while now Rosie had been staring at the strange metal headdress he wore, wondering what in God's name made him think it looked good. Obviously, he was a part of some sort of culture or something, she was too tired and her body was too sore to think of this now. All she wanted was a hot water bottle, a cosy warm bed, and the knowledge that her friends were going to be okay.

 They walked some more until they finally reached a gritty path which wove in twists and turns through some soft, green hills. This looked familiar. However, maybe this was her tired brain talking or maybe she didn't realise it before, but something was different. The grass was greener and the air was more pleasant to breathe somehow, like it was purer? It all seemed so familiar yet so strange, she was wondering just which main road this man was taking her too when she saw it.

 They clambered up another small hill, Rosie's muscles screaming after the long journey. When the scene turned into something so familiar it was impossible not to recognise it. Now, she may be high off car fumes, or maybe she just hit her head a little too hard, but she was pretty damn sure the shire just opened up in front of her. It was just like the movies. Little homes tucked into the hills, the circular multi-coloured doors, the stream of smoke coming from little chimneys. It was that and so much more. She saw someone idling along the path before them, carrying a basket and whistling a blissful tune, a bounce in their step. Rosie's eyes darted to their feet to see if the crazy idea that was thrumming through her head was true, and there it was, a pair of oversized and very hairy hobbit feet.

 "Oh my god," Rosie managed to choke out feeling fairly faint. Turning to the man next to her who continued to trudge up along the path, realisation washed over her like water. "Bifur…" she almost whispered, but it was enough for his head to snap around with quite a large grin, he nodded eagerly then continued walking. What. The. Hell. Night had fallen and the sky was no more than a dark blue pulse. They made their way up to a very familiar green door.

 See the thing is Rosie knew of the hobbit, of course she knew about it. She went through a full phase of reading hypotheses online, but she was not obsessed, she knew the story, she knew the bitter sweet ending, but she didn't know it as well as say, Harry Potter. But one thing she did know for sure is that herself, Frankie and Cece were certainly not supposed to be here.

Bifur gave a quick wrap on the door and from the boisterous noise and laughter coming from inside, she could tell that they were not first to arrive. Rosie felt her heart thud rapidly as the door opened her brain continuously telling her that this wasn't real, that she wasn't here, she couldn't be. But before she knew it, before her stood a very small Bilbo Baggins. He looked tired and a little ruffled, she felt her heart reach out for him knowing all too well the reason for how annoyed he looked.

 By this point, he just stood to the side and let Bifur walk in. Rosie stood there for a moment, staring at who her brain was telling her was Martin Freeman, before she realising he was giving her a weird stare, she lurched forward into his cosy home, trying to hide her shaking hands.

"Aye Bifur! Where ya' been laddie!" Rosie heard someone call in the other room in a thickly accented voice. There was no response but there was laughter and love in the air.

"What ya' got there Bifur? Been scouting out some dwarrows!" Another playful voice called out.  
   
"Would you like to follow me?" A small voice said from below, she nodded slowly looking down at Bilbo who looked so utterly fed up with life and nodded slowly. Bilbo led her into a hallway where in the room to her left all the dwarves were sat at a dinner table, on her right she could see her two friends laid carefully on two couches they both barely fit on. Turning back to the room on her left she felt a stab of fear hit her in the gut and she scurried behind the frame of the door. Keeping her body hidden she peeked her head around the corner, her mind completely blank at the situation at hand. She stared at the group and saw all her favorite characters live and in flesh, Bofur, Fili, Kili, Dwalin… the list went on, what she did notice was there was no Thorin, that gave her an idea of how far through the story they were. Whilst the group was sitting Bifur down and handing him a plate of meats and potatoes Rosie heard a voice behind her.

 "Why hello there," A soft voice said causing Rosie to nearly jump out of her skin, turning around she felt her jaw hang openly because standing before her was none other than Gandalf the Grey. Rosie felt the colour drain from her face and had the sudden urge to throw up her empty stomach. "Are you quite alright?" He asked, genuinely concerned, as no words seemed to be either forming in her head or falling out of her mouth, Rosie mustered up a nod. She could do this, this was just some horrid dream, she would wake up soon and everything would be fine, she's probably somewhere in a hospital, someone's  probably called her parents, they're probably flying over here now, everything was going to be alright, everything is going to be, alright. "I believe you are not from here," Gandalf spoke wisely looking down at her. It was then Rosie realised exactly how small she really was. Gandalf towered over her in a way that she never expected to experience in her lifetime. She again in response could only manage a head shake. "Ah, that is okay, I see that you are destined for this quest, come meet the others," and before she could complain Gandalf placed his large hand on her back and gently pushed into the candlelight, where all the dwarves turned their heads and looked straight at her.


	2. I'm Not From Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -Introduction to dwarves  
> -No Thorin Yet  
> -Answers?

The sound of laughter died at an alarming rate and Rosie felt her cheeks flush and her gut to clench. They were there right in front of her, just like in the movie. She flicked her eyes over everyone briefly, they seemed… _more_? Bombur seemed more round in the middle and radiated a happy mood, Dawlin seemed thicker in every sense of the word and she would not even get into how mouth-watering Fili and Kili looked, both of which were currently giving her the most god-awful stare. The uncomfortable silence lay thick in the air. That is until Bifur began signing something to his brothers, Bombur eventually spoke up.

"He says he found her and her friends in the woods, covered in shattered glass and broken metal," Bombur said, staring at his cousin with his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Rosie began to feel sick again.

"Friends?" A thick accent spoke, she tried to see who spoke but there were so many dwarves before her she could not exactly pin point the voice. Bifur began signing again to Bombur who again spoke for him.

"Yes, there are two others, they're resting in the other room," Bombur continued, "Unconscious," He added. There was a pause of silence as Rosie silently awaited their reaction. What followed next was probably the last thing she expected. All of the dwarves suddenly leapt to their feet and turned to Rosie, trying to get through the room behind her. They pushed each other over, and clumsily clambered over chairs, all of them trying to be the first to get there.

Rosie's immediate reaction was to get the hell out of the way and this meant that she ended up throwing herself against the nearest wall and automatically curled into a little ball, trying not to get squashed. She pushed herself further into the wall as the outburst of noise continued to go past her and eventually into the opposing room where it died out quickly. Slowly, when she was sure everyone had gone away, she unfurled herself from her spot, clumsily clambering to her feet with little grace. When she was up she turned back to the dining room and found herself face to face with a dwarf, around her height, with a beautiful mane of white beard. Staring at him for a moment she struggled to come up with something to say, but he seemed to take matters into his own hand, bowing down low in front of her, one arm wrapped around his front, his other wrapped around his back.

"Balin, at your service milady," he said sweetly, his old voice humming from deep within his chest. Rosie gave a curt little nod in response, not trusting herself to open her mouth, for she already knew who he was. Turning around, Balin led Rosie back into the dining room and to the table where he pulled up three new chairs and sat her down in one. "You look awfully pale miss, would you like some tea?" He asked softly, smiling with a happy glint in his eye. From within, Rosie felt her heart warm to this dwarf, he had been the nicest thing so far in middle earth. Rosie tentatively looked down at the cup of tea he was holding out to her and willed herself to take it, however, her hands appeared to be ignoring her brain and reaching for something else on the table.

"No…thank you," Rosie managed to splutter out as she grabbed the pitcher of ale with a little too much force and with shaking hands tried to pour herself a glass.

"Here, let me," Balin said in his soft voice. Taking the pitcher from Rosie's shaking hands and pouring the glass for her.

"Thank you," Rosie managed to whisper, unsure if he even heard her.

"That's a funny accent you have, milady," Balin said, handing her the glass.

"Hmm, mmm," Rosie hummed quietly, bringing the glass to her lips. The ale was strong. Stronger than any she had sipped before, but right here, right now, Rosie had never felt like she needed something more. Rosie gulped down the majority of her glass and eventually all of it with more haste than necessary. She enjoyed the feeling of it hitting the back of her throat and burning on the way down, spreading a warmth in her stomach that was very much needed. Forgetting Balin was there for a moment, Rosie reached again for the pitcher and poured herself another glass, and another, and another. When she was finally contempt she pushed both the glass and pitcher away from her and briefly closed her eyes, focusing on the feelings that were now flowing through her, however, Balin gently called her back to reality.

"Well, if the others saw you doing that you'd be very much be invited in some of our families never mind this quest," He smiled, and Rosie found herself smiling back with a real genuine smile. Both Rosie and Balin then let a silence fall like a blanket over the room, both of them lost in thought. Rosie was currently thinking about how peaceful this room was, with the candlelight and homely rooms when she remembered where everyone else was.

"I must go, my friends…" She suddenly said, trailing off as she stood up, wincing slightly as the chair scraping on the floor as she stood crashed down on the silence her and Balin had just shared. Without waiting for Balin's response she turned to the hall and picked her way around fallen chairs to it. Balin was hot on her heels, following her into the opposing room where she found two large groups of dwarves staring at each of her two unconscious friends. She then noticed one dwarf checking up on the medical state of the girls, currently pressing the back of his hand on Frankie's forehead. The other dwarves, though impractical, still stayed and watched with curiosity as this medical dwarf performed his craft.

"How are they?" Rosie found herself saying before thinking about it, obviously, some of the warmth spreading through her blood was giving her some confidence. All dwarves in the room then turned to look at her, the medical one had a small smile on his face.

"They're a bit bruised n' battered but nonthing that cannit be fixed," He said and Rosie felt herself physically sigh with relief. He spoke up again, "Mam, would ye mind if I checked over ya cuts, just for infection," He asked, still smiling. Rosie found herself nodding whilst also sitting down collapsing in the nearest arm chair, this dwarf, who she later found out was called Oin, walked up to her and checked her arms and legs where the cuts took place. This was where Rosie became very aware that she was wearing shredded boyfriend jeans (more shredded from the crash than anything) and an oversized black hoodie with her favourite white vans and three bags which somehow, she still hadn't taken off. She was also very aware of the 14 pairs of eyes on her (12 dwarves, a wizard and a hobbit).

"Where ya' from lassie," Dwalin spoke up, breaking the icy tension in the air, she knew he was Dwalin from his fairly recognisable appearance.

"I'm not from here," was all she could muster. How the hell was she supposed to explain this to them and not sound insane?

"Yeah, we got tha'" someone else spoke up, Rosie felt a small part of her want to burst into tears right there on the spot. To wish it all away and hope to wake somewhere in a hospital bed. But it looked as if that wasn't happening anytime soon.

"No, I mean I'm not from this world, or universe, or…whatever," Rosie attempted to explain causing a few eyebrows to raise and few glances between brothers to take place. "I'm not from here," She said again as if that would help.

"Where ya' from then?" Balin spoke up from behind her. Rosie again found herself thankful for his presence, he talked to her as if she wasn't some criminal who was getting investigated by the police.

"Earth," Was all she could muster. "Not middle earth, just.. _earth_."

"If you're from a different world lassie, then why are you here," Someone else said.

"I don't know, I…" She trailed off thinking.

"Go on," The wizard spoke, bending down slightly so they were more on the same level.

"I was driving down the road," Rosie began, soon finding that the words wanted to come out "And this car it came just out of nowhere I swear. And I just freaked out and I swerved too hard off the road and into the trees and we crashed and I woke up here and my friends were unconscious in the car and-" She rushed without taking a breath, she was panicking and she knew it. Gandalf held up a hand to stop her.

"This…car…is this the metal and glass?" The wizard said, his voice not confrontational, but curious. She didn't trust herself to talk again so she settled for a nod. The wizard thought for a while glancing between this girl and her unconscious friends who had been pulled from their world to join there's, it had to be for a reason, it couldn't just be a coincidence, not right now, not before such an important quest.

"We will speak more of this when Thorin arrives," Gandalf decided aloud, "For now, let us return to our meal," He continued, and a grunt of agreement seemed to travel around the room, "Oh! And someone please grab a plate for…" He trailed off staring at the girl.

"Rosanna Parker, but please call me Rosie," She just about managed, glancing around the room. Before she knew it and uproar of noise filled the room as the company jostled her into the dining room where a plate was thrust into her hands and she was forcibly seated in-between Ori and Kili. The company was a merry bunch which drove straight into a new conversation, something about the time Bombur ate too much cheese and they rolled him down a hill. Rosie found herself nibbling on some cheese as she listened, half paying attention, half lost in her own questions. Sipping on some red win she pulled herself from her mind and forced herself to listen to the funny stories the dwarves, finding herself laughing and smiling just when they did and finally feeling a bit more welcomed to the group. However, when they began throwing their food she silently slipped down in her chair and took refuge under the table until it was over. Everything seemed to be fine until Frankie woke up in a stranger's house all alone with Cece's unconscious body.

"What the fuck?" Rosie heard muttered from the other room, she seemed to be the only one who heard it. There was a scuttle followed by a thump and then some lightly padded footsteps when Frankie appeared in the doorway. Frankie stumbled into the dining room, her eyes wide and searching as she looked for her missing friend. Frankie then seemed to notice the dwarves, and how familiar they looked, however, she didn't get much time to think it over since she spotted Rosie, her glass raised to her lips, staring right back at her. "Rosie?" She said rather loudly. All the dwarves turned to her.

"Frankie…hey…come join us?" Rosie stammered out, not quite sure how to explain the situation.

"Rosie…where the fuck are we?" Frankie mumbled rubbing her eye with her hand as if she had just woken up from a long nap.

"Well, um, actually…funny story," Rosie muttered, wishing for a million things right then and there but mostly for some privacy from the dwarves unblinking eyes. Frankie's eyes darted to her, then again back to the table, then back to Rosie. Rosie sat there and watched as her best friend slowly started to piece things together and watched as realisation dawned on her.

" _What the fu.._." Frankie began turning back to Rosie, she looked both livid and on the verge of tears.

"I really don't know how, but it appears that when we crashed the car- " Rosie started.

"When you crashed the car, you mean," Frankie cut in squinting her eyes, it was a low blow but Rosie brushed it off and continued, Frankie had every right to be mad at her.  
"Yes, when I crashed the car…it appears we fell through some sort of portal and have ended up in…middle earth. Either that or we're both in a coma right now," Rosie wondered aloud, forgetting about her audience of twelve dwarfs, a hobbit and a wizard.

"Yes, having a coma with the same dream," Frankie sighed before collapsing in a chair near Gandalf, lost in thought and a bit emotional as she reached for the cup of tea Balin has offered Rosie but a few moments ago. She brought it to her lips and took a sip, winced slightly at how cold it was, but continued to drink it. The conversation started up again, but many of the dwarves were a lot more interested in asking both Frankie and Rosie questions than reminiscing about the past.

"Why is your hair like that," Ori said to Frankie before he was smacked up the head by Bombur.

"I don't know, I got it from my mama," Frankie said, raising a hand and fiddling with her hair, "I like it like this, it suits me better," 

"But how do you braid it and put in your beads, also where is your facial hair?" Ori continued, too sweet not to realise that these mysterious women were obviously not dwarrows.

"What?" Frankie said, unsure of what he was trying to say, Rosie decided to cut in.

"We're not dwarves Ori," She smiled at him which caused a deep red glow in his cheeks.

"Then what are you?" Someone else asked at the table.

"Humans," Frankie said like it was obvious.

"Ye' a bi' short to be a ‘uman," Bofur said looking up and down at Frankie which caused him to receive a rather menacing glare from both of them.

"Then I guess we're just short humans," Rosie shrugged, but that was not the end of the conversation, oh no.

"Why is the other lass so skinny?" Someone asked.

"She just is," Frankie said with finality, obviously rather fed up with this game of 21 questions. Almost as if on cue the small frame of Cece appeared in the doorway, silence settled on the group. She blinked a few times, taking in the image in front of her, before turning around and stumbling her back to the couch. Rosie felt like laughing. Cece was an absolute, head over heels, fangirl of J. R. R. Tolkien and religiously read the books and had fallen very deeply in love with the movies. Maybe this was a bit too much for her, then again, it was too much for them all.

Frankie and Rosie leapt to the aid of her friend. Frankie making a straight run into the other room whereas Rosie was left to clamber through what seemed like a sea of dwarves and chairs. By the time she was in the hallway she ran into a confused Ori, a frustrated Bilbo and a happy Gandalf.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt, but what should I do with my plate," Ori said, Rosie saw Fili coming up in the background and had a faint voice tell her what's coming next.

"Here give that to Fili," she said almost without thinking as she took it out of Ori's grasp and handed it to Fili who in turn gave her a confused grin and a wink before chucking it to his brother not too far down the hall. The dwarves launched into their song ‘That's What Bilbo Baggins Hates' whilst Rosie and Frankie coaxed their friend into the kitchen where Cece was handed a glass of water and a small plate of food.

The girls sat and watched as the dwarves danced and sang, perfectly in time with each other. As Cece began to warm up to the idea that they were in fact in the story of the hobbit, Frankie and Rosie watched the live performance the dwarves were giving and tried to hide the smiles from a growingly frustrated hobbit. It wasn't soon before there was a large pile of clean dishes stacked neatly before the three girls and the dwarves were merrily laughing and poor Bilbo's stunned face. Unfortunately, the laughter was cut short when three heavy knocks could be heard against the door.

" _He's here_."


	3. The King Under the Mountain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -Thorin being an arse

The three girls shared a glance, all of them aware of just who was at the door. Everyone in the company appeared to have shrunk a little, their eyes distant as brothers shared glances and comforting smiles. Did he really have this effect?

Everyone appeared to silently flow into the hall like a silent stream, Bilbo sticking out as he rather loudly excused himself through the small crowd, trying his best to get to the door. Once Bilbo had managed to get close enough, he latched onto the handle, pulling with all his might to reveal the King with no mountain.

Rosie could feel the emotion in the room as Thorin turned his head and smiled at Bilbo, before looking up at everyone else. His movements were graceful and his voice rumbled from somewhere within his chest with an accent that reminded Rosie of paper edges and inky pens.

"Gandalf," He said, a hint of playfulness laced in his voice, "I thought you said this place would be easy to find," He said walking in and locking eyes with the tall wizard. Despite the height difference Thorin looked at Gandalf slow and steady, a soft crease at the corner of his eyes. "I lost my way, twice...wouldn't have found it at all had it not been for that mark on the door," He said, unbuttoning his cloak and letting it fall from his shoulders, catching it in his fingertips at the very last possible second, not caring for the spluttering of broken sentences that now fell from Bilbo's mouth.

Rosie found herself still looking at Thorin's figure, following the loose lines of his outfit, from his strong shoulders down to his thick boots and back up again when she found his eyes staring steadily back at her. He then moved closer to her, and Rosie felt her heart speed up ever so slightly, forgetting all about the fact that she stuck out like a sore thumb in Bilbo's cosy home.

"Here," Thorin then said holding out his coat to her. Rosie stared at it for a second, confusion causing her to freeze up. "No?" Thorin then said, his eyebrows a mix of furrowed and raised, "Do you not speak common tongue?"

Rosie once again only stared at the coat that he was holding out to her. Tentatively, she reached out and grasped her fingers around the soft material, only a few inches from where Thorin's own hand was intertwined with it. Thorin then let go of the coat and turned around in one movement, and Rosie became aware of all the eyes now on her and the cloth that she still held out in front of her.

Zoning out on what happened next, Rosie turned to her friends and questioningly raising the material in the air. Neither of her friends said anything, however, Cece jerked her head to the right where, but a foot away, was a coat rack. Rosie stared at the coat rack, to the coat and the back to Thorin, opening her mouth ever so slightly, clearly offended.

"Thought as much, he looks more like a grocer than a burglar," Rosie heard as she carelessly threw the coat in the direction of the coat rack, not really caring where it would land. Turning around she watched as the company was now filing back down the corridor towards the dining room, her friends doing the same. They were just about to disappear around the corner when Rosie grabbed each of their wrists and yanked them, rather harshly, backwards.

“What the hell?” Frankie muttered as she stumbled back into a cabinet which rattled in response.

“Aren’t we going to go follow them?” Cece asked pointing down the corridor that everyone had just disappeared down.

“Are we going to follow th- _no_! We’re not,” Rosie spluttered out staring at her friend. “Did you just see the way he treated me…I don’t need to take that!”

“So, what? He probably thought you were a maid?” Frankie said, brushing down her pants, “I think that’s the last thing we need to worry about right now.”

“She’s got a point,” Cece said, folding her arms awkwardly, visibly uncomfortable.

“Okay, okay…come on let’s get a cup of tea and talk about this in the kitchen.”

* * *

“So, what do you think happened,” Cece said from where she sat on Bilbo’s wooden table, legs folded neatly underneath her, blowing on a cup of tea. Her matted hair now tied back off her face drawing even more attention to her vivid green eyes.

“Honestly, I don’t know, this still doesn’t feel real to me,” Rosie muttered from where she leaned near the sink.

“This can’t be real, can it?” Frankie joined in, “I mean, whatever…this is…it’s not real,”

“I don’t know,” Breathed Cece, “If this isn’t real…” Cece trailed off, Rosie felt something run the length of her spine. The girls sat in silence for a while, none of them able to come up with a new topic to talk about.

“Well…” Frankie began looking at her friends, “Even if this…isn't real. It very much feels like it. And we can debate over what happened for as long as we want, but at the end of the day, we don’t know, do we?” Rosie and Cece shook their heads, “So…” Frankie said, in a shaky breath, “What do we do next?” They shared a look.

“Well, to decide, we kinda need to know what’s going to happen,” Rosie said looking at Frankie, then both of them turned to Cece.

“Why are you looking at me?”

“You know the most,” Frankie said obviously, "Shouldn't you make the decision on what we do since you do know what will happen next"

“Oh right, yeah totally,” Cece said with a touch of offence, “Well, it seems to me…that next they…go on a fucking quest to Erebor,”

“That’s not what we meant Ce,” Rosie said softly.

“I don’t care if it’s what you meant…I am not taking responsibility for what we do as a group,” Cece replied. Rosie and Frankie muttered their apologies before moving the conversation forward.

“All I – I mean we – meant was…what happens right now? Like, right this very second?” Frankie asked.

“Umm,” Cece sipped on her tea, “They have a discussion on whether Bilbo will be going on the quest,” A pause.

“So…if we want to go on this quest…we should probably be in there right now?” Frankie asked, glancing at her two friends. A few seconds went by of no one doing anything, then all at once the three girls raised to their feet and tripped out into the hallway. Leaving behind cold tea.

* * *

The three girls sneaked into the dining room, unnoticed by the dwarves and took refuge against the walls. They pushed themselves into the shadows and watched as the dwarves and the wizard discussed the news that the dwarves of the Iornhills would not be joining them on this quest. Soft groans and mummers echoed around the room.

"They say this quest is ours, and ours alone," Thorin said, slowly bringing his glass to his lips and sipping his wine.

"You're going on a quest?" The voice of Bilbo came from the hallway. Rosie felt herself smile without thinking, the innocence of the hobbit warmed her heart, a comforting familiarity in this story. Cece was watching with steady eyes, gripping onto each word that was spoken, waiting for a chance to drop their presence on the quest. The story continued to unfold before the three girls, the revealing of the map, the story of the dragon who took rest under the mountain and more.

"I'm not afraid, I'm up for it, I'll give him a taste of dwarfish iron right up his jack sit," Ori suddenly said, obviously wanting to prove himself being one of the youngest. The three girls couldn't help but smile at the dwarf throughout the chaos that this caused, and even though the lighting was low, the dwarf noticed this and his cheeks pulsed red.

"The task would be difficult enough with an army behind us, but we number just 13, and not thirteen of the best, or brightest," Balin said, staring at Thorin.

"Eighteen," Cece found herself saying, almost so quiet that no one could hear.

"What did you say, lassie," Dawlin who sat before her turned to face her. 

"Eighteen," She said again, a little more confidence in her voice, "Well you have you lot, thirteen, a hobbit, fourteen, a wizard, fifteen, and us three, eighteen." She spoke, apparently, this was enough to cause an uproar.

"Woah, woah, woah. I have spoken nothing of the sort about going on this quest," Bilbo suddenly piped up, his voice noticeably higher. "And I do not to intend to join either,"

"And who invited you along," Bofur questioned the three girls.

"I did," Gandalf suddenly said which caused a silence to spread across the room and the girls to glance, starry-eyed at the wizard.

"That is not your burden to bear," Thorin said sternly to Gandalf, his dislike for the girls fairly obvious in his features, maybe it was because he still thought of them as maids.

"But I will bear it," Gandalf said back before turning to the whole table. "Whether you like it or not these three girls have been plucked from the lives, worlds, universes to join us on this quest. They have been found by one of your own and brought here, therefore I believe it to be fate that they come with us," he spoke wisely to the group whilst raising out of his chair and looming above all the beings in the cosy home.

"But you forget Gandalf," Thorin said standing out of his chair too. "This is my quest, this is my journey, it is my home we are reclaiming, my fate and most importantly this...is my company. I choose who comes and who stays, and I say that these three remain here, in fact, they can go, we will not be needing them for the rest of the night," He said, glaring at the girls and Gandalf.

"Do not fight me on this Thorin, you know not what these girls can do. I sense something within them, they will be a mighty use to us. They may even save your life," He said, the last part visibly got under Thorin's skin, he sat back down, as did Gandalf and they left each other in their thoughts. Suddenly the blonde prince spoke up.

"We may be few in number, but we're fighters. All of us. To the last dwarf," Fili spoke up, slapping his hand on the table, “We do not need the help of three females or a hobbit,” his brother followed on.

"And you forget we have a wizard in our company Gandalf would have killed hundreds of dragons in his time," Kili said, riled up with energy and passion. At this Frankie audibly snorted as Gandalf tried to get the dwarves to think otherwise.

"How many then?" Dori said.

"What?" Gandalf replied, slightly lost for words.

"Well, how many dragons have you killed?" This caused an uproar when Gandalf chose not to answer and instead took another puff of his pipe which he ended up spluttering right back out. The three girls again expected this, but what they didn't expect was for Thorin to slam his hand on the table, hard enough that half the cutlery danced its way to the floor. It worked and brought the fighting dwarves to a stop.

"It does not matter how many dragons any of us has killed, what matters is that together it is possible for us to kill another. In each one of you, I see a fire which doesn't perish. Trust me, it is possible for the dragon to fall before us, despite our numbers," he said, with power and courage.

The three girls watched as Thorin continued to make his little speech, it was evident how much he cared about this mission, maybe gate-crashing was the best idea. When he finished it appeared that the words of the king with no mountain pierced the dwarf’s hearts with hope, and that's all they needed, cheers erupted from the dwarves as the threw their drinks in the air.

"You forget the front gate is sealed, there is no other way into the mountain," Balin said, his worries putting a downpour on the dwarf's hope.

"That my dear Balin, is not entirely true," Gandalf said holding up a thick metal key.

"Who gave you by this," Thorin asked, staring at the key in hope and wonder. The girls watched as he took hold of the key. Rosie couldn't help noticing was how slightly clouded his eyes looked.

"It was given to me by your father, Thrain," Gandalf said, watching as Thorin held the key. "For safekeeping, it is yours now,"

"If there is a key," Fili piped up, "there must be a door," he said.

"That boys got looks and brains," Frankie said under her breath, beginning to fan herself the girls held back their grins but they did notice one falling freely onto Dwalin's face. Gandalf then pulled out a map from his ropes and laying it carefully on the table.

"These runes speak of a hidden passage," Gandalf pointed to the map in front of him, "- to the lower halls,"

"There's another way in," Kili said, almost giddy with excitement.

"If we can find it, but dwarf doors are invisible," Gandalf sighed. "The answer lies somewhere in this map and I do not have the power to find it but, there are others in middle earth who can," There was a breath silence before Frankie spoke up, shocking everyone in the room.

"The map says something about the door revealing itself in the last light of Durin's day," She said, without looking at the map. The king narrowed his eyes.

"And the whereabouts of this door?" Thorin asked, unsure whether to believe the girl or not.

"I don't know," Frankie said honestly. Thorin thought for a moment or two, “But we know someone who can read this map,” Frankie continued.

“Yes,” Cece jumped in, she opened her mouth the tell him but visibly changed her mind, “We shall tell you who it is, but you must let us come on this journey,” Thorin rose from his chair, the noise of wood scraping against wood was all anyone could hear.

"And who might you be?" He addressed them not bothering to hide the edge in his voice.

"Francesca Dodd, Frankie," Frankie spoke up, confidence dripping from her voice. Rosie followed in suite.

"Rossana Parker, Rosie," She said, making sure that there was no quiver in her voice.

"Cecilia Blume, Cece," Cece said, having a surprising amount of confidence, almost daring Thorin to make some sort of comment.

"And why, Francesca, Rosanna and Cecilia, are you here?" He asked squinting his eyes at the girls, “Or more specifically, how do you know what this map says?” Rosie spoke up.

"We have been brought here from another world to adjoin you on your quest but we don't know why, we didn't mean for this to happen," She said, feeling stupid at the language she was using, but this seemed to grasp Thorin’s attention.

"Well, thank you, but your assistance will not be needed," He said, clearly not believing the girls, he went to sit down.

"Your gonna want to have us," Cece spoke up, stepping forward. The king turned around with a very amused look on his face, “On this mission I mean,”

"And why would that be?" He said, daring the girl. There was a thick tension in the air, you could tell all the dwarves in the room were waiting for an answer.

"Because we know what's going to happen on this quest, where we come from this quest is a story that actually a lot of people know of, to be honest," Cece continued, her voice full of superiority it surprised Frankie and Rosie, “That’s how we know what the map says,” The king's expression turned dark.

"You lie," He said, his voice going deeper.

"No," Rosie said standing forward with her friend. "We can swear on anything, we can sign any document, we know what's going to happen, we can help you,"

"So, we need help?" He asked, again squinting his eyes at the girl.

"Not necessarily no," Frankie said, Frankie was around the same height as Thorin and stared him straight in the eye with an honest yet determined expression. There was a pause as Thorin took a step back.

"It is bad enough that I am being encouraged to ask a hobbit on this quest as a burglar, I do not need three girls who say they can see into the future, coming either." And with that, he turned around and sat down with finality, his company silent.

"It's okay," Cece whispered under her breath turning to her friends and pushing them back into the shadows, "He'll come around," she said with a glint in her eyes.


	4. Signing Papers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -Bilbo being cute  
> -Thorin being an ass again  
> -Strong ass women

Gandalf began speaking of how the group needed a burglar all the whilst sending Bilbo glances, unfortunately sweet, innocent, little Bilbo did not pick up on this.

“That’s why we need a burglar,” Ori said excitedly looking straight at Bilbo.

"Hmm, a good one to,” Bilbo said looking down at the map, “An expert I’d imagine.”

“And are you?” A voice spoke up. Bilbo looked up and being precious as he is, he looked behind him seeing if anyone was there.

“Am I what?” He asked blatantly not getting the drift.

“He said he’s an expert,” Oin said happily whilst Fili looked at Ori like the idiot he was. Bilbo finally caught on.

“Me, no no no I- I’m not a burglar,” he said with finality, “I’ve never stolen a thing in my life,” he obviously thought that this was the right thing to say.

“I’m afraid I have to agree with Mr Baggins,” Balin said, again dampening the situation at hand. “He’s hardly burglar material,” Balin continued. Even though what Balin just said should have been a bad thing Bilbo smiled and agreed with the Dwarf, it was evident that he did not want to go on this journey, if only the company wanted the girls like they wanted Bilbo.

“Aye, the wild is no place for gentle folk who can neither fight nor fend for themselves,” Dwalin said to Thorin, Rosie caught Thorin’s eyes flicker to the girls who stood on his left. Cece let out a giggle at the happy faces Bilbo was making as the dwarves basically told him he was weak, she also found how Bifur was angrily making hand gestures at no one particularly amusing. However, it was not amusing when Gandalf angrily stood up, once again towering over everyone in the room.

“ _Enough_! If I say Bilbo Baggins is burglar, then a burglar he is. Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet, in fact, they can pass unseen by most if they choose, and while the dragon is accustomed to the smell of dwarf, the scent of a hobbit is all but unknown to him which gives us a distinct advantage.” He then turned to Thorin, “You asked me to find the fourteenth member of this company, and I have chosen mister Baggins, there’s a lot more to him than his appearance suggests and he’s got a great deal more to offer than any of you know, including himself,” He leant in close to Thorin, “You must trust me on this,”

“What? Like I should _trust you_ with the women,” Thorin retorted, mockingly.

“Yes,” Gandalf replied, leaning back, “Just like that,” All eyes were on Thorin as he stared at the grey wizard.

“Very well,” he finally said, “We will do it your way, give him a contract,” Thorin said ignoring the ‘no’s which were escaping from Bilbo's lips, he once again glanced as where the girls stood.

“It’s just the usual…” Balin went into the explanation of the contract that Bilbo was expected to sign. The girls watched, un-amused, as Bilbo read over the contract whilst the dwarves tried to scare him.

“ _Incineration?_ ” Bilbo squeaked at the dwarves, of course it was Bofur to speak up.

“Oh aye, he’ll melt the flesh of your bones in the blink of an eye,” He said, uncaring for the panic which was evidently rising in Bilbo. Bofur continued. “Think furnace, with wings, flash of light searing pain, then puff your nothing more than a pile of ash,”

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Cece spoke up, all eyes turned to her except for the pale hobbit.

“And why not lassie,” Bofur asked, sucking on his pipe.  

“Because he’s going to faint,” and if on cue Bilbo let out a little ‘no’ before collapsing on the floor. Eyes turned back to the girls in wonder.  

A dwarf carried Bilbo through into the opposite room where he was laid on the couch Frankie was unconscious not too long ago. The girls told the dwarves to go back and finish their meeting whilst they stayed with the hobbit, it also gave them some time alone. When everyone else was out of the room Cece seemed to explode.

“ _Ignorant, oblivious, stupid, reckless ass-hole_!” Cece cried out, sitting down next to Bilbo with her head in her hands. Her two best friends sat on either side of her rubbing her back soothingly. “How can this supposed king be so infuriating,” She said, her body shaking.

“Well…he is being an ass-hole, not going to lie,” Frankie sighed, Frankie and Cece have been friend for _years_. They had been friends before Rosie came along and joined them, and it took a long time for them to view Rosie as the same.

“I’m still confused as to what happened. How can we crash a car to then wake up in a hobbits home?” Cece huffed.

“Well, we didn’t automatically come to this house,” Rosie said tentativly. Her friends turned to her, slowly. So, Rosie explained to them both about her grand adventure of waking up in the forest, she told them of how she couldn’t find her way back to the main road when she was discovered by Bifur who, with actions, agreed to help her. She told them how he casually put them each on his shoulders and carried them the whole way to Hobbiton (Frankie and Cece both made promises to thank Bifur for his charitable means). She told them of how she realized where she was and what was happening, her conversation with the dwarves and Gandalf about where she was from. She told them everything she had been thinking in the last hour until it came to a point where she had nothing else to say. A silence settled for a few more seconds.

“Well Fili and Kili are certainly hotter than I expected,” Cece suddenly said causing her two friends to break out into grins.

“And what about Thorin’s voice,” Rosie joined in bringing her own voice quieter just in case someone was listening in, “I mean he’s an ass-hole yeah, but, damn,”

“What about Thorin’s muscles,” Frankie grinned at them and the girls began chatting away at the things they expected and the things they didn’t expect until again they had no more to say. It was strange how familiar this all felt even when the topic of conversation, certainly wasn’t.

“What are we gonna do?” Frankie wondered aloud.

“About what?” Cece asked, “We already kind of have a plan don’t we,”

“Yeah but…” Frankie trailed off “How about getting home, to where we belong, what about making it through the battles we all know we’re about to go through, I mean don’t get me wrong y’all are fierce but none of us _really_ know how to use a sword,”

“What about Fili, Kili and Thorin?” Rosie asked, her heart squeezing at the thought of the three dwarves dying. She still needed a bit more warming up to Thorin but Fili and Kili had been nothing but nice-ish to her so far, she was sure they were going to get quite close over the journey with them being the youngest and all.

“What if we can’t go home?” Cece asked to no one in particular, her eyes glassy and illuminated by the roaring fire not too far away. The girls didn’t talk, just wrapped themselves around one another and held on, because... what if she was right?  

Bilbo was long gone before the girls had a final plan in action. They would not make any more 'prophecies' until they reached Rivendell, they would help the company with the things along the way depending on how well they were treated. They also decided to each think of a plan to save Thorin, Fili and Kili from the death they were supposed to suffer at the end of the story. Once they had their plan in action they grabbed their three bags and began to decide what they did and didn’t need, laying the contents of all the bags on the small table.

“Aw god damn, my phone smashed!" Cece groaned.

“Oh yes, because phones are going to be very useful in this situation,” Frankie said.

“What if I got a call from someone?” Cece continued causing Frankie to splutter.

“Because middle earth is known for its great service,”

“Okay girls, lets pick everything we think we’ll need then divide it up into the bags,” Rosie said. They didn’t have a lot on them but some of it could be useful. Here’s what each girl chose to be vital for the journey ahead.

Rosie

  * Her phone and headphones (for music until it ran out of battery)
  * Sunglasses
  * Lip balm
  * Waterproof Coat
  * Spare Jumper



  Frankie

  * Phone and headphones
  * UE BOOM speaker (it was light and didn’t take up much room)
  * Her coat
  * Water bottle
  * Baseball cap



  Cece

  * Water bottle
  * Jacket
  * Waterproof coat
  * Reading glasses
  * Lipstick
  * Her favorite mascara



When they got all their stuff ready they placed them in their bags and decided it was time to move back into the dining room to see the dwarves. Unfortunately, they were nowhere to be seen. Diving back into the halls the girls began peeking their head in every door that they would pass, searching for a dozen +1 dwarves. Eventually the girls found them gathering around the fire, smoking their pipes.

They shuffled silently into the room and settled on a couch near the back where they would not be seen by the dwarves. A hum started in the room, their voices low moved through the girls, filling the air with noise, thrumming your body with sound. Each girl eventually curled up, resting their heads and the small soft things they could find. They closed their eyes, the rumbling of the dwarf’s perfect harmony causing their own bodies to hum along.

As Rosie lay there staring through the round glass window and up at the soft gleaming lights in the sky, she thought of her family, she thought of her home, she thought of how and if she would get back. As the warm dwarves voices surrounded her. She then thought of the dwarves, willing to face and fight anything for the reclamation of their homeland, something which was taken from them. She may not know these dwarves strongly, but she could see their hope, their want, their fire. She would help each and every dwarf that stood in this home, help them on this journey, help them reclaim what once theirs, save their lives, give them back what they so truly deserved.

Because she could.


	5. Wanna Bet

The girls were awoken by a pair of dwarf’s boot digging into their sides, Rosie grumbled and rolled over away from the boot, Cece lazily sat up and got up whilst Frankie swore something rather extreme under her breath. They looked up to find the prince brothers looking down on them with a look of pure curiosity.

“Um, morning,” Rosie grumbled as she got up and stretched, she then became very very aware that she had stripped down to her undies on her bottom half. After the humming of the dwarves was finished the girls had made their way back into the room with the sofas, curling up under blankets and laying out pillows for them to sleep. If they didn’t think about it too much, it was just like a sleepover. The dwarves, being the gentlemen they are, turned their backs on the girls to give them some privacy. The girls stumbled into their clothes and grabbed their bags, they also stole some of Cece’s mascara and brushed out their hair with their fingers (if you could only glimpse upon the beings of Fili and Kili you would understand why). When they were done they walked past the dwarves to only hear them run and catch up with them.

“Uncle told us to tell you that we will be leaving shortly and that he would like to speak with you before we leave,” Kili smiled at the girls, walking in step with them.

“Well that’s very kind of you,” Frankie yawned, her fingers fiddling with her lion’s mane of hair.

“Uh, your welcome,” He replied smiling broadly. Frankie then responded by giving him an award-winning smile and walking away. Rosie smirked at Frankie’s flirtatious means and the dark tinge that now took place in Kili’s cheeks.

“Brother control yourself,” She heard Fili say who was looking at Kili the way any older brother would. Rosie heard herself let out a small chuckle at the brother’s ways as she and Cece followed in Frankie’s footsteps. They made it outside where they felt the warm morning sun spilling onto them and they smiled at the passing hobbits who were bustling about doing their daily chores. They then glimpsed down at the fourteen ponies and horse which were tied up outside the hobbits home.

“You really couldn’t find a better place to put them,” Cece wondered aloud to no one.

“Where else would we put them lassie?” Bofur, who was passing, asked before moving forward prepping his pony for the journey ahead.

"Francesca, Rossana and Cecilia,” The girls heard the bark behind them, they knew it was Thorin before turning around.

“Please, Thorin, its Frankie, Rosie and Cece,” Rosie sighed, however, she felt that by saying this it was not going to actually change his mind.

“Well, with some thought and _a lot_ of bribery from a wizard. I am going to make a deal with you,” Thorin said, his voice surprisingly…calm. There was a pause.

“Yes?” Cece asked softly.

“You may journey with us until we can find someone who can properly read this map, and when they read the map and it _doesn't_ say something about a door revealing itself in the last light of Durin's day, then you are not to follow us or continue, you are to leave us in peace. If it does...you may journey with us the rest of the way.” He said standing up. “Is that a deal,” He said, the girls looked at each other. They knew they would not read what’s on the map till Rivendell, that was plenty of time to warm up to the company, also they were very sure that what Frankie said was true. Without saying anything they managed to get each other opinions with looks, it was a yes from all of them.

“We accept your offer, Thorin Oakenshield,” Rosie stepped forward and offered her hand for a handshake, Thorin looked at it weirdly then at her. With a defeated sigh, Rosie shoved her hand back by her side.

“Here,” Thorin then said holding out a small brown pouch, Cece held out her hand to take the pouch since she was closest.

“This pouch contains a small amount coins, take it down to the market, you can buy yourself bedrolls and anything else you feel you need. In the next town over we’re going to find you each pony so you don’t need to worry about that right now,” Thorin said before dropping the pouch into the open palm of Cece. The girls nodded and made their way down to the market which they could see over the rolling hill they were currently standing.

The girls arrived at the market and we’re surrounded by a merry bunch of hobbits who smiled and waved cheerily, they could see a few whispering and pointing, probably from the abnormally small size and the way they were dressed. They picked up a few things that they had been advised to and were having quite a chilled and pleasant time until Cece spotted a stand which was selling cloaks.

“Oh, come on guys! We’d be in the real fashion, I mean all the dwarves have capes, why can’t we? It would make us fit in more, stop people asking where we're from” Cece reasoned whilst she stared at a beautiful silver cape.

“Well for one, I’m pretty sure they're cloaks not capes and for two, how the hell are they going to go with what we are wearing right now,” Frankie asked staring and the short girl with the large mass of blonde hair.

“Rosie? What do you think?” Cece suddenly turned to her. Rosie tried to hold a stubborn face and not give in but there was a beautiful vivid blue cloak which had caught her eye.

“It’d be pretty cool to have a cloak,” She said, a grin slipping onto her and Cece’s mouths whilst Frankie simply groaned. They went up to the hobbit merchant and asked them about everything they knew about cloaks, they soaked up the knowledge like sponges and began trying on different ones and twirling around. Trusting each other’s opinions, they bought three capes and made their way back with their treasure tucked safely in their bags. They returned to find the company waiting on them with a very irate leader.

“What took you so long?” Thorin growled when the girls came into view, _uptight git_.

“Okay, hold on,” Cece said raising a finger, Frankie and Rosie threw each other a look before looking on at what was about to unfold. “Y’all never gave us a time limit and we were just finishing up, okay, we couldn’t have taken more than 15 minutes of your precious time, so turn it down a notch,” Cece said glaring at the King. The king looked taken aback and was just about to respond when a certain grey wizard clambered out the house.

“Okay everyone, let’s go,” He smiled clapping his hands together.

“Since none of you have a pony you’re going to have to share until we reach the next town,” Gandalf said staring around the dwarves who were already on their ponies. “Ah, any volunteers?” He asked. For a second no one put their hand up and the girls felt each other's embarrassment in the bottom of their stomachs, then the prince brothers raised their hands in unison. “Ah, thank you Fili and Kili.”

The three girls stared at each other for a second before turning their heads to Fili and Kili. Two hot princes on ponies and three girls, that’s not going to add up. Before she could move Rosie watched as Frankie and Cece ran over to the princes, grinning at their victory they crawled on the back of the prince’s ponies. As Rosie watched her friends begin a small chat with the princes and couldn't help but notice the scowls Thorin was throwing at his nephews.

“Um…Rosie, ah, anyone else want to volunteer?” Gandalf said looking down at the girl before staring around the company of dwarves. Obviously, it was going to take the dwarves a little more time to warm up to the girls. Slowly and shyly Ori raised his hand as a warm glow crept on his cheeks. Rosie didn’t care for the looks her best friends were showing her, she gave Ori her biggest and best smile, genuinely grateful for his hospitality, she then climbed onto the back of his pony and heard his breath hitch in his throat. _Okay, this can go nice or not so nice_ she thought. Don't get her wrong, Ori was lovely, she just had no intention to fall in love on this journey, not even to pretty princes riding ponies.

The company set off making their way down the hobbit paths before entering a thicket of trees. They were riding for a while and the whole group was talking about this and that when they began making bets on whether the hobbit would show.

"Ori, do you trust me?” She asked smiling at the dwarf in front of her, he paused and then nodded his head. “Good, okay now who do you think will have the most gold?” She asked. It wasn’t too long before Ori pulled up the pony to just about everyone in the group, with all of them she placed the same bet over and over again, eventually, she came up to the prince's horse where they were chatting with her friends.

“Ello ello ello,” She smiled as Ori rode up next to them, his hands gripping the reigns.

“Why hello, my dearest friend,” Frankie smiled sweetly from where she sat behind Fili. “What brings you to these parts of the group?”

“I,” She pulled herself up to her fullest height, “Have come to bet,”

“And what do you bet on?” Fili asked an eyebrow raised.

“I am placing a bet that Bilbo will show, refuse to be placed on a pony and then request that we turn back because he will forget his handkerchief,” Rosie smiled, she could see her friends chuckle slightly and shake their heads whilst the brothers seemed like they just won a gold mine.

“There is no way that’s going to happen,” Kili chuckled like he pitied the girl.

“Try me,” She dared him, a glint appearing in her eyes. He laughed to himself and nodded and so did his brother. They agreed on the bet then they went back to their original place in the group before Ori’s fear set in.

“Um, Miss Rose, I don’t have the money to bet all this,” He said, shyly.

“Oh, don’t worry Ori,” She kept her voice low, “I’m going to make you rich. I’m also going to have a chance to show that I do know what will happen on this journey,” She glanced around the group. She had made the same bet with just about everyone in the group, apart from Thorin and the others who believed Bilbo would show. They kept on going, Rosie having 100% faith in the fact Bilbo would show and do everything she had said he would.

And he did. He chased after them the now signed contract fluttering in the air, she smiled that was part one of her bet, now for parts two and three. And just like she said, he refused to go on a pony and then requested we all stop and turn back because he had forgotten his handkerchief. After Bofur chucked him a strip of material all eyes turned to Rosie who had correctly betted everything. She couldn’t help but smile as multiple pouches of money was chucked towards her including the money of the two princes. She looked down and saw that she had around 10 pouches of money sitting in her lap which she all handed to Ori.

“I’m sorry Miss Rose but I can’t accept this,” Ori sighed as he looked down at the pouches of money in his lap.

“Of course you can,” She smiled at him encouragingly, “And none of this ‘Miss’ or 'Rose' business just call me Rosie,” She said and the continued the way on the path. It wasn’t too long before a prince rode up on either side of her and Ori.

“How did you know that?” They said in unison the same puzzled look on their faces.

“Are you beginning to believe that we know what’s going to happen on this journey,” She asked, smiling before urging Ori too ride on further, the brothers arguing far behind them.

* * *

They continued to ride for a good few hours before Rosie found herself talking to someone who wasn’t Ori.

“It’s a shame you lot didn’t buy cloaks this morning,” Balin sighed as the tree branches continued to scrape at the girls’ bare arms. Frankie and Rosie could almost feel Cece swell with pride.

“Well, my dear Balin, we have in fact bought a cloak for each of ourselves,” She said with the largest grin on her face. Balin just looked at her as if she was a little crazy, which to be fair, she little bit was.

“Then put it on lasses, _mahal_ ,” He sighed as they continued to travel. Cece happily pulled her silver cloak out of her bag, it caught the light and gleamed, it’s soft texture looking far too appealing. She dramatically swung it around so it flared out and tied it around her neck. Rosie would be lying if she said that the cloak didn't suit her. Cece was wearing her jeans from yesterday and a white sleeveless tee. The cloak seemed to make her skin glow, her grey eyes seemed to shimmer and her blonde hair seemed to look more vibrant where it lay against the pure silver cloak.

Next Frankie pulled out her rich emerald green cloak which again suited her far too well. She was wearing the same outfit from yesterday, black jeans and a black shirt. The cloak’s green hue popped against her dark skin, it was a colour which matched her eyes far too well. Rosie was just thinking of how cloaks should make a major fashion come back when she remembered that she too had a cloak. Diving into her back she pulled out her rich blue cloak now slightly self-conscious it wouldn’t look as good on her as it does on her friends. However, she dug deep down into her pit of not caring and pulled the cloak around her neck feeling instantly more powerful. They continued their journey until they found a flat piece of land where they would take rest for the night, they set up a roaring fire and each and every one of them began resting in their own weird little ways.

Unfortunately for the girls, the company still hadn’t fully welcomed the girls so they found themselves placing their sleeping rolls the furthest away from the fire, it would be cold but at least they could all cuddle up if they needed to. Soon the company settled down and everyone took rest. The three girls lay on their back wrapped in layers of clothing to keep warm, staring up at the stars.

Maybe this wouldn’t be that bad.


	6. The Aforementioned Battle

Morning came again, far too soon, and the girls found themselves being awoken by yet another dwarfish boot to the ribs. Groggily, the girls managed to get up and then pull Frankie up so they could begin getting ready for the day.

"Rossana!" Came the bark of Thorin's deep voice.

"Rosie!" She grumbled back with almost no thought, her eyes then turning to where the King stood. Thorin calling her Rossana reminded her of her mother telling her off, and that's just what she didn't need right now.

"Would you and the others like to go with Oin and Gloin to a nearby stable where you can pick out three ponies," He said, more of a demand than a question. Grumbling, Rosie accepted the pouch of coins that he held out to her, she then rounded up her friends and followed the two brother dwarves into the local stable.

It was…pungent. The strong smell of hay embraced the small group, it made the air seem thicker and harder to process through their lungs. They sucked it up (not literally) and walked further into the stables where they were greeted with a whole bunch of ponies and horses.

"Alright girls, go pick a pony," Gloin said running a hand over his marvellous beard.

"Oh, how I wished to hear that when I was 5," Cece smiled as she walked forward, her friends following with smiles on their faces. The girls asked question after question about which pony would be better for each of them and they continued to do so until the owner of the ponies cursed in some unknown language walked into the group of ponies and came out with three of the best and handed certain reigns to certain girls.

"There," He sighed before taking money from the dwarf brothers before saddling up the ponies. The three girls rubbed their hands over their silky fur and began cooing at them in a way the dwarves were certainly not used to. The group made their way back to the company where everyone was dressed and ready for the day's journey. Thorin said nothing to the girls when they got back, no one did, they girls however only clambered onto their ponies, and strangely the only person who couldn't get the hang of it was Frankie.

"Woah, Woah! Get a grip of yourself woman!" Rosie said through her giggles as she and Cece watched as Frankie was positively pulled around by her pony.

"I'm, trying, you, little-" Frankie called out before her pony fully chucked her off its back. Cece and Rosie burst into laughter at the sight of her friend dangling of a pony with her feet still stuck in the stirrups. Neither of her friends aided her as Frankie tried to pull herself back up onto her pony, with little success. "Can you help me?" She finally asked looking up where her friends sat calmly on their ponies laughing down at the sight of her.

"No, way, this, is, too, funny," Cece said through giggles. Suddenly a pair of hands grabbed Frankie and pushed her up straight, she twisted around to see a certain young brunette dwarf walking away from her and to his own pony.  
   
"Thank you, my dearest friends," Frankie scowled as she rode up next to her friends, still getting used to having to actually direct the pony where and where not to go.

"Oh, no problem," Rosie smiled at her. "But it seemed that you didn't need our _assistance_ in the end." She cheekily smiled. Frankie shook her head allowing her curls to fall across her face and in doing so covering her slightly pink cheeks.

"I ship it," Cece spoke up on the other side of Frankie.

"No," Frankie said dismissively rolling her eyes.

"You wha' lass?" Bofur asked riding up next to them. Frankie and Rosie stared at Cece, Frankie with a scowl and Rosie with a large grin.

"I um, ship it," Cece said again giving a small smile to Bofur. Bofur opened his mouth as if he was going to ask further before deciding against it and moving forward, shaking his head. Rosie chuckled as she watched Cece's cheeks light up in red.

"Screw you," Cece sighed at Rosie.

"I'm pretty sure it's not going to be me that's doing the screwing," Rosie said nonchalantly before covering her mouth with her hand not realizing she had actually said that out loud. This caused Cece to elapse into another fit of giggles and for Frankie's cheeks to burn an even darker shade of red than Cece's. The girls found themselves loosening up in the presence of the company, soon realized that it didn't really matter if the company liked them or not, they could have fun between themselves. They continued on the journey, the three girls quietening their chuckles and inside jokes as they admired the beautiful views.

"Is this really the beauty of New Zealand?" Rosie asked as they looked out on a far too beautiful mountain view.

"No," Cece breathed. "There be not a place on earth which holds as much beauty as this," She sighed dreamily.

"Okay, when did we start talking like we lived in Victorian England?" Frankie asked playfully as she moved her pony.

"What?" Cece asked innocently, Frankie however just rolled her eyes. The company continued travelling until it became too dark to see, they took cover in some mountains where they had a wonderful outlook on the scenery before them. Night fell and the girls found themselves huddling around the fire, sticking as close to each other as they physically could.

They flicked their eyes up to the prince brothers who were sitting opposite them, tonight was the night they would hear of Thorin's great defeat of Azog, the ‘late' orc. And soon enough the noises filled the air, the girls glanced at each other before looking up at the small frightened hobbit, they watched as the prince brothers scared the small hobbit, talking about the orcs which annihilated homes. Rosie kept her eyes on the dwarf king, who seemed dismayed and unfulfilled by how his nephews so easily joked around with the thought of orcs.

"You think that is funny?" He growled walking away, being the drama king he is. Rosie stopped herself from rolling her eyes and she watched the warm smile on each of the prince's faces crumple.

"Thorin has more cause than most, to hate orcs," Balin said, looking down at the brothers with a soft expression. Rosie closed her eyes and laid back, listening to the story she had heard so many times in the movies. "After the dragon took the lonely mountain, king Thror tried to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria…" Balin submerged himself into the story, Cece allowed the familiar words to wash over her, she practically knew them off by heart but to hear it from Balin himself was something else. Frankie, however, did not remember the story, she gripped on to Balin's words as did the others gathered around the fire, reminiscing about the well-known story between the dwarves.

Rosie near the end of the story opened her eyes to the stars and looked over to where Thorin was listening and ruminating the story he had lived with all these years. The wind blew softly through his hair, and Rosie could almost swear that his eyes were slightly glassy.

She clambered up, knowing that many eyes were fixed on her as she stepped over tree roots and uneven ground to make her way over to Thorin. He did not hear as she approached, he only noticed her when she sat down on the ground next to him, staring at the misty landscape before them, he looked down at her for a moment before he too sat down next to her staring at the magnificent scene. After a few moments of silence, he looked at the girl sitting next to him to find her with her eyes closed and the wind carrying her hair behind her. They did not talk, only shared the silence and were both grateful for each other's company.


	7. Waterproof?

The days soon ran into each other and time was passing quickly. Apart from Fili, Kili, Ori and Bofur, the girls found that none of the dwarves wanted to talk to them, they dwarves saw the displeasure that Thorin had for the girls and they followed in pursuit of their leader.

One day they were travelling in the woods when a magnificent downpour was set upon them, giving the rolling grasslands and the tall trees an even more magical atmosphere.

Rosie and Cece very much liked the rain, it trickled down their faces and cooled them off whereas for Frankie it was just another obstacle in how to ride a pony. Rosie sat happily, trusting her pony to follow the others, with her head tipped backwards so the fresh water could roll down her face freely. Sighing with content she opened her eyes to see Ori staring at her tenderly. She felt an unnerving need to go back in time and stop herself from doing what she just did. Don't get her wrong, Ori was lovely in his very own way but she could simply not find it in herself to adore Ori the way he did her.

"Mr Gandalf!" Dori called from somewhere behind the girls. "Can't you do something about this delude?" He asked, Frankie audibly snorted, another trait that seemed to be getting on the dwarf's nerves.

"It is raining master dwarf, and it will continue to rain until the rain is done," Gandalf replied with finality. "If you wish to change the weather of the world you should find yourself another wizard!" He continued.

"And are there?" Bilbo suddenly piped up after a moment, continuing the conversation with Gandalf.

"What?" Came Gandalf's not so distant voice.

"Other wizards?" Bilbo continued.

"Oh no, hold on a minute, I can get this," Frankie suddenly popped up, biting her lip in thought.

"Well there's you, Gandalf the grey, then there's the two blues and Radagast the brown and he's the one who really likes animals and is looking after some forest lands in the…east? And the fifth is Saruman, the white, and he's like the lord wizard," Frankie said thoughtfully thinking about each and every bit of information she said, making sure to get it right.

"Why I do think that you are quite right," Gandalf hummed not even turning around as he continuing on the straight path. Without looking at each other Rosie and Frankie high-fived.

Rosie, who was now a little wet, suddenly remembered the waterproof jacket she held in her backpack. She had gotten so used to the feeling of the cloak that she had completely forgotten about it. She suddenly threw open the flap on her backpack and pulled out the large puffer jacket, causing a few people near her to jump, she then wrapped it around herself and sighed, gratified.

"What's that?" Kili asked staring at Rosie who was sitting happily on her pony, almost being drowned by her coat.

"Her freaking waterproof jacket," Frankie sighed in annoyance, now obviously frustrated that she had forgotten to take her jacket along with her on the day of their…well…transfer between worlds.

"Waterproof?" Kili said his eyes wide in wonder. Rosie glimpsed up at from where the hood of the coat had left some space.

"Here try it on," Rosie smiled, unwrapping herself and handing it over to the young dwarf. Kili took it hesitantly and then ran his overly large fingers down the weird material, it made a squeaking noise which made him jump causing Cece to chuckle. He then slowly placed an arm in one of the holes before wrapping it around, however, he struggled when he came to working the zip.

"Um, Rosie? How do you…" He trailed off staring at the zip in wonder.

"Here let me," Frankie said from the other side of him, leaning over she placed one part in the other and began pulling it up, he stared in wonder at how it worked. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest as the pretty girl leant in close and felt strongly disappointed when she pulled away. But the warmth that seemed to leave him when Frankie pulled away was instantly returned by the jacket. He could still feel the wetness of his clothes underneath but suddenly the rain wasn't going through him anymore, he looked down and watched as the water droplets would hit the jacket then roll down. This fascinated him deeply and he continued to watch in awe at how this new material was working its magic.

* * *

The company continued along their path until Thorin chose to rest at an area of a burned farmhouse. Rosie plucked herself from her pony tying it up before she began climbing the steep green path to view the remains of the burnt building, why did this seem significant to her? She observed as Gandalf wandered into the burnt farmhouse lost in thought when she got a sharp elbow in the ribs. She gave a yelp of surprise which caused some of the dwarves to turn and look at her, giving them apologetic smiles she turned to Cece the culprit of the elbow jabbing.

"What?" Rosie hissed rubbing at where the elbow had struck her.

"Trolls," She said in a hushed voice.

"Excuse me?" Rosie asked, thinking not of the creature of middle earth but of the idiots of the internet.

"Trolls, _remember_ ," Cece urged, not looking directly at Rosie. Recognition dawned on Rosie's face, she nodded quite violently at Cece before finding Frankie who was conversing with Dwalin about the ins and outs of a water-proof jacket.

"Ponies go missing, taken by trolls, the company gets captured, Gandalf saves the day," Frankie heard Rosie whisper in her ear, she turned around to see Rosie walking away from her and over to Cece. She turned her head back to Dwalin who was holding the jacket with deep fascination.

"Excuse me Master Dwalin," She said politely before moving over to where her friends were discussing ideas in hushed tones.

"So, what's the plan?" Frankie asked walking up to her friends understanding that by now they would have something pulled together.

"We stop Gandalf from storming away, tell them of the trolls, move the ponies away, find another place to set up camp," Cece said whilst Rosie nodded to everything she said.

"Okay, let's go," Frankie said before rushing out to where the dwarves were gathered.

"Gandalf where are you going?" They heard Bilbo's voice call out. Cursing under their breath they fought their way to the front of the crowd.

"To seek the company of the only one around here who has any sense," Gandalf said striding away, his damn long legs carrying him far.

"And who's that?" Bilbo called after him.

"Myself! Mr Baggins!" Gandalf called over his shoulder.

"No, no, no," Cece muttered as she tried to run after the large wizard. However, in the wizard's angry state he was moving fast and far and Cece's little legs simply could not catch up with the old wizard.

"I've had enough of dwarves for one day," The wizard said before turning the corner and disappearing out of sight. Rosie and Frankie winced as she watched their disgruntled friend make her way back up the hill, muttering and cursing under her breath.

"What's the matter with you?" Thorin asked, still frustrated with his argument with Gandalf.

"Matter with me? What the hell is the matter with you?" Cece snapped suddenly turning to him.

"I will not allow you to talk to me like that," Thorin growled, causing Frankie and Rosie to instinctively move to protect Cece.

"What our friend means is you just scared away the one person here who was going to save you," Rosie said staring straight at Thorin.

"Save us from what?" Bilbo asked, fear in his voice.

"Trolls," Frankie said turning to Bilbo, this caused a few dwarves to raise their overly bushy eyebrows.

"Trolls?" Thorin asked, "There are no trolls in these parts, they have no reason to be here," He said turning away from the girls.

"They're here and they're going to capture you all," Rosie said stunned that the dwarf before her was stubborn enough not to believe them. When Thorin didn't respond, anger swelled within the girls.

"Why are you so freaking stubborn?!" Frankie half-asked-half-shouted. "We're only trying to help you!"

" _Enough_!" Thorin snapped turning around, "I will not believe the lies of some silly little _girls_." You know, I do quite believe that that was the worst thing he could have possibly said to them.

" _Fine_ ," Frankie huffed after a few moments of silence, before turning around and walking away in the direction Gandalf went. After a few seconds, Rosie and Cece both turned around and followed their friend into the unknown. When they were out of sight they ran to where their friend was angrily kicking a tree.

" _Stupid, stubborn, dwarves_ ," Frankie growled in between kicks to the acquitted tree. When she was done, she turned to her friends, still angry but not as much.

"Well, what the bloody hell are we going to do now?" Rosie sighed looking between her friends.

"Now?" Frankie asked an idea forming in her eyes in that very moment. " _Plan B_ ,"


	8. What A Troll

“This is stupid.”

Rosie and Cece were currently sitting at the base of a tree not so far from where the company had set up camp, they could see the throbbing light of the fire through the trees, but they were far enough away to not see the actual members of the company. Frankie had found herself a comfortable spot in the tree Rosie and Cece were currently sitting at the bottom of. She had a brilliant view of the princes who were currently chatting to themselves by the ponies, from up here she could see both fires of the dwarves and trolls.

“No, it’s not stupid,” Cece said looking up at where Frankie was in the trees. “It’s just, a bit much,” She said looking at Rosie opposite her who had nodded off propped up by the tree behind her. Cece watched as her friend began slowly snoring next to her, an eyebrow raised.

“Guys, guys!” Frankie suddenly hissed down to them.

“What?” Cece called standing up suddenly and looking up at her friend, by doing this she woke a very confused Rosie.

“Woah, wha- where?” Rosie asked, blinking and scrambling getting to her feet.

“Shh,” Frankie hissed from above. Cece and Rosie watched anxiously as their friend had her eyes fixed on a point on the ground. After a few moments of listening to the strange noises in the night, Frankie gave them a report of what she had just seen.

“Okay Fili, Kili and Bilbo have disappeared near the Troll camp, Bilbo must now be trying to free the Ponies and the brothers…Ah! Yes! There they are! They’re moving over to the rest of the company, no doubt telling them what we already knew,” Frankie said, her eyes fixed on what was happening. “ _Idiots_ ,” They heard Frankie say under her breath. Rosie and Cece looked at each other before looking up at their friend.

"Frankie? What’s happening now?” Rosie asked in a hushed tone.

“The company have followed the brothers with weapons into where Bilbo disappeared, let’s go,” Frankie said before swinging herself down from the branch and clambering down the tree. As soon as Frankie’s feet hit the ground the three girls sneaked to where the companies camp had been abandoned.

“Okay like we said, look for any weapons,” Rosie called out, she began rummaging through some of the dwarf’s bags, unfortunately finding no weapons

“I got one!” Cece suddenly called from across the camp, the girls ran to her where she pulled out a decent dagger which was the length of her forearm.

“Here give it to me,” Frankie said taking it with ease, Rosie couldn’t help but notice how well the blade looked with Frankie; like it was an extension of her body.

“There’s two,” Cece smiled pulling out another.

“Give it to Rosie,” Frankie said, Rosie took the weapon and instantly felt power course through her veins.

“Whose bag are these from?” Rosie asked viewing the handsome markings on the blade.

“Fili’s,” Cece said with a slight smile. The girls nodded with grins on their faces, who else would have extra blades?

“Okay, let’s go,”

* * *

 

Rosie felt her heart hammering as she and her friends made their way to where the Trolls had set up camp, the glow of the fire became more distinct as they got closer. They soon found themselves crouching behind a thick tree and peering around. The scene that greeted them was almost laughable. There was a pile of dwarves just a little to their right, all of which were bagged, amongst them they could spot Thorin, Fili, Kili and Bilbo and some others, the rest, however, were tied onto a large tree trunk and were being spun above a fire.

“They should be sortied and grilled with a sprinkle of sage,” One of the foul beasts said to the other slowly turning the dwarves on the trunk around.

“Is this really necessary?” They heard one of the dwarves call out causing Cece to again stifle a chuckle.

“That does sound quite nice,” The scraggy troll said. The girls turned away from the scene and nodded at each other, the plan was simple, they were to distract the trolls until Gandalf arrived, that way they could save the dwarf's asses as well as proving multiple points including, they were right, they were kind enough to save the dwarves, the dwarves can trust them.

Rosie stayed where she was as Cece and Frankie moved away and around the fire. She waited until, from across the camp, she could see Cece’s face in the midst of the trees, Cece gave her a wink before disappearing into the dark.

"Can we hurry up?" A troll called, "Morning's coming soon and I don't fancy being turned to stone." Rosie watched as realization swept on the hobbits face, good, he had caught on.

“My, my, my, what do we have here?” Rosie said in an overly cocky tone walking in on the scene causing the uproars from the dwarves to die down. See if Rosie didn't know for certain that nothing could actually go wrong if she just kept talking, she would not be as cocky as she was, in fact, a deep fear thrummed through her this very second.

“Rosie?” A dwarf from the fire called in wonder.

“Yes, yes it’s me, here to save the day,” She said turning around to face the three trolls. A giddiness was rising within her, this was fun. The fact that none of this felt real was also helping Rosie majorly.

“Who are you?” One of the trolls spat, pausing from spinning the trunk to move closer to her.

“My name is Rossana Parker, you can call me Rosie for short, and I’m going to have to ask you to not eat my friends here,” She smiled sweetly at the dwarf. Rosie was becoming very aware that the trolls were positively huge and could probably end her with one blow, she was also becoming aware of the fact that this was her first time talking to anyone who didn’t look mostly human.

“What are you doing?” Kili hissed from behind her, she ignored him.

“You mus’ be’ ‘avin a laugh,” Another troll spoke up moving closer to her and bending down.

“Bag ‘er up, we’ll cook ‘er too,” The one _sortieing_ the dwarves said. As one of the trolls moved towards her she tried to remain as calm as possible.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” She said smiling sweetly at the troll.

“And why not?” The troll said, crap, she hadn’t thought this far. For a moment, there was silence as she tried wracking her brain for an appropriate answer, meanwhile trying to slowly signal to her friends to help her out,

“She’s with child!” She heard the voice of Bilbo from behind her this caused a slight uproar from the dwarves, damn he is smart.

“You wha’,” The troll said. Bilbo struggled to get to his feet whilst staying in the bag, Rosie moved and helped him up.

“Yeah, she’s pregnant,” He said again looking up at the troll. Bilbo had obviously caught onto the plan of stalling.

“Wit’ who?” They asked, again a moment of silence. There was a pause before anyone spoke

“Him” Bilbo suddenly said grabbing the closest dwarf, which just so happened to be Fili, Rosie felt a blush appear on her cheeks, she helped Fili up then pressed her whole body against Fili, showing the trolls that they could be together and at the same time making him aware of the blade which she had hidden under her clothes. If Fili realized about the blade, he didn’t show it.

“You wouldn’t kill a mother and her unborn child, and you wouldn’t kill the father in front of that mother and her unborn child, would you?” Rosie questioned.

“Well, uh,” The youngest troll said.

“That’s what I thought,” Rosie said, moving her body slightly so the hilt of the blade dug into Fili’s side. Whilst this was happening the dwarves continued to make ungodly noises, some of them actually believing this to be true. The worst of this was Kili who was shouting at his brother something in a different language.

“Don’ listen to ‘em, they’re takin’ us for fools,” The troll said making a grab for Rosie, thankfully Fili leant into Rosie pushing her over and out of the way. Rosie began panicking but then out of the corner she could see Frankie crawling behind the dwarves and, without them realizing it, cutting their bonds. The troll was about to make another grab for Rosie when a call from behind them stopped them.

“Oi! You!” Cece called from the opposite side of the camp as she ran onto the scene, there was a pause as the three trolls turned to look at the girl, there was a pause “Fuck you!” Cece suddenly blurted.

“What did she say?” A troll said, honestly confused.

“Let the sunlight take you all!” Came the cry of Gandalf as he slammed his staff onto the top of the rock splitting it clean in two. The sunlight was blinding as it shone through the gaping hole falling upon the company and the three trolls. It was hauntingly beautiful to watch the trolls move around, their bodies shaking and desperately clawing to get out of the sunlight, slowing down and soon stopping to a halt as their entire beings turning to stone. Rosie sighed in relief as she was soon pulled to her feet by Frankie who appeared from behind her, they looked at each other for a moment before embracing each other in a hug. The dwarves began untangling themselves surprised by the fact that their bonds had been cut.

“Who cut- “Kili began looking down at where his bag fell and the rope tying him together slipped away as well.

“Your bonds?” Frankie asked turning around, the dagger which she used in her hand, she gave him a smirk before handing it over to Fili as did Rosie.

“That’s why you were pressing against me?” He asked in wonder taking the blade from Rosie who rolled her eyes, a grin on her face.

“What did you think I was doing?” She smiled before walking away to where Thorin and Gandalf were conversing.

“You welcome,” She said before Thorin even opened his mouth.

“I did not offer my thanks,” He replied.

“Yes, well I took it because I do believe that a ‘thank you’ was in order, and to be honest I think an apology is too but whatever. I’m simply saving time,” She said turning to Gandalf. “Ah good Gandalf, your back. I do hope you realize that we did tell Thorin about this, and yet he chose to ignore us,”

“Is this true?” Gandalf asked turning to the dwarf, Thorin, however, avoided the gaze of the wizard. “Thorin…” Gandalf trailed off.

“It’s okay Gandalf, hopefully now he will know to trust us,” Rosie said, moving away.

“You expect me to trust a stranger?” He asked incredulously, Rosie paused.

“A stranger who just saved your life,” She replied, calmly. She then has Thorin a loom before turning around and moving to where her friends sat.

“Cece, you did fine,” Frankie cooed rubbing her friends back.

“I told him, ‘fuck you’, that was the best thing, I could think of? _Fuck you_?” Cece muttered to herself.

“It did the job, didn’t it?” Rosie smiled down at her friend, Cece didn’t respond.

“How’s his royal prickship?” Frankie asked looking up at Rosie. Rosie paused for a moment to turn around and find Thorin’s contemplative gaze on their group.

“I think Cece was right,” She turned back to her friends with a smile, “I think he’s coming around.”


	9. Run Run Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -Running  
> -Violence  
> -Stubborn Dwarves  
> -Minor guts and gore

The group found themselves travelling into the malodourous troll cave, where the treasures of the troll’s victims were kept. The pungent smell and thick air stuck in their throats causing them to cough and choke, the company set out to separate parts of the cave, each unearthing their own amounts of treasure.

The girls found themselves separated from the rest of the group each discovering their own part of the cave. Cece watched as the king picked up a sword with a thick layer of cobwebs surrounding it. As Gandalf revealed that the blades were forged by elves Thorin retreated his hand acting as if he was touching a pure disease as he moved to put it back Gandalf snapped at his stubbornness.

“You could not wish for a finer blade!” He said watching as Thorin retreated his arm before unsheathing the sword to reveal its beauty inside. As Thorin and Gandalf cleared the area, the girls moved in, there was an array of weapons there, none of which were as fine as the elvish blades but after their encounter with the trolls, they had each decided to receive a weapon for themselves, just for now.

Cece found a selection of daggers all grouped together, the smallest was the length of her pinkie finger and the longest the length of her thigh, the handles were beautifully crafted with the largest having a beautiful moon on the handle.

Frankie discovered a bow and a few arrows to go along with it, the bow itself was a deep brown and the previous owner had carved small drawings along the handle, she found it to be a good size and placed it over her shoulder, she also found some small daggers and placed as many as she could on her being.

Rosie struggled to find a decent weapon that would help her, she found some daggers which she slipped into the waistband of her jeans and bra but there was nothing that was good enough for a main weapon. Then she came across a sword of such beauty she could not resist, she unsheathed the sword and again felt an entire wave of power course through her. The blade was beautifully made, not of elfish make she could tell, but still beautiful. Understanding that she had never held a sword in her life and was in no state to use it, she tucked it into her bag, the hilt sticking out, they then moved on and out of the cave.

The girls began stretching and sighing, they had not received a wink of sleep from the night before due to the stubbornness of the dwarves, but they knew what was coming next.

“Somethings coming!” Thorin called. _Ah right on time_ Rosie thought. She bent down and re-tied her shoelaces before standing up, putting two blades in her hands and waited for Radagast the brown to burst through the bushes. The dwarves armed themselves prepared for an attack. The last thing they expected was for a crazy looking man dressed in brown robes, with bird excrement on his head, driving a sledge which was being pulled by rabbits to appear before them. They, however, did not back down, still holding their weapons high.

“Thieves! Fire! _Murder!_ ” Radagast called as he appeared, there was a moment of silence as we all looked at each other, then realization swept of Gandalf's features. Radagast moved with Gandalf to talk and whilst they were busy Cece, Frankie and Rosie turned to Thorin, mouth open ready to talk.

“What now?” He asked before they could speak.

“Wargs, they’re coming, soon to be followed by an orc pack,” Cece said, staring at Thorin, “We going to have to run,” She said before bending down and retying her shoelaces before pulling out two of her largest daggers and keeping them in hand. Thorin looked as if for a moment that he didn’t believe Cece, he probably didn’t, but his wondering came short when the not-so-distant howl of a warg pierced the air.

“Is that a, um, wolf?” Bilbo asked looking at Rosie, Rosie looked to Bilbo then up at where she expected the warg to be any moment.

“No Bilbo. That...was a warg,” She said, keeping her dagger in hand. As she predicted the overly large wolf-like creature appeared above the stone, teeth bared.

“Thorin!” She called out, the warg pounced for her. Luckily, she moved out the way in time for Thorin’s sword to stab through it, the next warg appeared behind him.

“Kili!” Frankie called, Kili turned around in time to pierce the warg in between the eyes with a bow and for Dwalin to bash its head with his axe.

“Warg-scouts! An orc pack is not far behind” Thorin growled looking up at where Ceece had an I-told-you-so look on her face.

“Orc pack?” Bilbo wondered aloud.

“Yes, yes, Bilbo. We’re being hunted. Radagast you go, distract them with your rabbits, our ponies are gone which means we must run, there is a cave not too far away, Gandalf keep an eye out for that,” Cece instructed as if she was the leader. “Okay, let’s go,” So they turned and ran.

* * *

As Radagast powered through the open fields, the wargs and their orc riders trying and failing to catch up, the company moved quietly and quickly hoping above all hope not to be seen. The howls of the wargs continued to rip through the air sending shivers down the company’s spines, they moved as quickly as they could, jumping over rocks and making their way up and down small hills.

The company came to a screeching halt as they watched anxiously as Radagst, wargs and orcs pass them by whilst they were in open air. It was so easy for an orc to simple look their direction and see them, they all held their breath.

“Come on,” Came the voice of Gandalf and they turned and ran the other way. The girls were wheezing and panting, don’t get them wrong they had done running before, just not really running-in-the-face-of-death running. They again had to pause behind a collection of rocks as the wargs passed.

“Okay,” Rosie gasped, trying to collect her breath, “Remember to look out for the cave,” She said as the company began moving again, she was about to follow when she felt a strong grip on her arm.

“Where are we going next?” Thorin asked staring at her hard. All she could do was give him an almost apologetic smile as she turned and ran after the company. They again hid behind a rock heaving for breath, then came an awful sound. Cece turned to Fili who was next to her ‘ _warg and orc_ ’ she mouthed hoping he would get her message, he nodded and did the same thing to his uncle who gave Kili a look. Kili leapt forward and sent two arrows, one killing the warg, the other hitting the orc. The orc fell and received a mighty blow in the head from Bombur and then other members joined in, destroying what used to be an Orc. Unfortunately, the ungodly noises from this alerted the other orcs of their whereabouts.

“Shit! RUN!” Frankie called as she turned and led the company away. Never in their entire lives had the girls ran so hard, they ran so fast they were soon leading the group, they each pumped their arms and legs as hard and fast as they could, never showing a sign of weakness.

“Cece, where, are, we, going?” Rosie called to her friend as they ran, breath seemed to be an alien thing in her body.

“This way!” Cece called as she led the group down a small hill. The soon ran into a small bit of uneven land, but in the distance, they could see the cave. “There!” Cece called as she went straight for it, however, she was stopped when a mighty warg and Orc appeared before her, instinctively Rosie grabbed her and threw Cece behind her, dagger in hand. The orc looked down at her with a sickening smile on his face.

“Try me, you _…fuck-nugget_ ,” She said raising her dagger high, the orc let out a war cry but was stopped short when one of Kili's bows made its way into its neck, it cried out and fell off its warg, who growled in protest before turning back to Rosie. “Nice, doggie, nice doggie,” Rosie tried to say soothingly, slowly backing away. Suddenly there was a war cry and Rosie watched as Frankie leapt onto the back of the warg and wrapped her arms around its neck pulling hard. The warg twisted and growled trying to get Frankie off its back.

“Rosie…. NOW!” Frankie suddenly called as the warg fell to its hind legs baring it chest, using every ounce of strength she had she grabbed her dagger and sunk it as hard as she could into the heart of the warg. It worked and the warg let out an aggrieved cry before flopping unconscious…actually…not unconscious…dead. Rosie felt bile rise up in her throat as she looked down and saw her clothes stained with the thick blood of the warg, shivering she turned to see Kili firing bow after bow against the oncoming attack. The company was huddled around in a circle, the girls made their way over, weapons in hand, hearts hammering.

“Where’s Gandalf!” Thorin called.

“He’s abandoned us!” Dwalin called back. _Oh my god, how butt hurt are dwarves?_ Frankie thought.

“No, he hasn’t!” Cece called, and as if one queue Gandalf arose from the cave.

“This way you fools!” Gandalf cried and the company turned to face and follow him. The dwarves began diving into the hole, Rosie, Frankie and Cece stood with Thorin counting and making sure everyone was in, they understood the hierarchy of the group.

“Cece go!” Frankie and Rosie called pushing their friend in.

"You too!” Thorin called at them staring them down, but by doing this he avoided to see the warg which was heading straight for him. Without thinking Frankie grabbed the sword from the dwarf’s hand and swung it as hard and fast as she could into the warg’s neck, she watched in horror as the warg’s razor blade teeth came so close to her face before being thrown to the side. She turned around, threw Thorin his sword and dived into the hole, Rosie following in pursuit.

Soon after Kili and Thorin both fell in and they sat in the dark cave and listened to the sounds. A horn was blasted and the hooves of horses could be heard. Then came the sound of battle cries and swords clashing with swords. The company sat and waited anxiously as the unknown battle above them continued. Soon, as planned, an orc too fell down the hole, everyone drawing their blades expect the three girls who were crouched together. The orc fell on his back revealing the perfect arrow sticking out of his neck which Thorin picked up, a menacing look on his face.

“Elves,” He growled before chucking the arrow back on the floor and glaring at Gandalf and the girls.

“Don’t glare at me,” Frankie said, standing up “I saved your ass out there.” Rosie then stood up, covered in wargs blood as did Cece who was limping slightly.

“What happened, are you hurt?” Thorin asked, more accusingly than anything.

"No,” Rosie said defiantly, “This is not my blood,” She growled before throwing Cece’s arm over her shoulder and making her way to the path.

“Where are you going?” Dwalin asked moving forward. Frankie, who was following them, called over her shoulder.

“Forward,”


	10. Drunken Giggles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -This is sort of showing Rosie, Frankie and Cece loosening up in the company of the dwarves.  
> -Drunk Giggles

The girls made their way through the winding path before them, the company following behind. The girls knew that they were at Rivendell and they also knew of Thorin’s persistent hatred of the elves, but that was just something he was seriously going to need to get over. They also understood that Rivendell had baths, and beds and proper food, causing the girls to move with more haste than necessary.

Looking up they could see the sunlight falling from where the hard, crooked walls were splashed with light. The stone on either side of them was dangerously tight, causing any claustrophobia inside the company to rise. No one talked as they made their way through, just the sound of feet scuffing on stone and the clinking of weapons jingling from belts. There was also something else in the air, something strange, something enchanted. Cece and Rosie understood that it was the magic of the elves however that did not stop them from feeling almost giddy like.

They eventually saw the opening of the path which led out onto stone steps leading down, a small trickle of water falling behind them. Rivendell peeled itself open to them, as beautiful and magical as ever. The sunlight gleaming against the hauntingly beautiful buildings, causing the water to sparkle gold and the air to glint with something not quite real, the only thing that wasn’t beautiful in that moment, was Thorin’s scowl.

“This was your plan all along,” Thorin growled at no one in particular, he was going to continue when Gandalf stopped him.

“They are not your enemy Thorin, no one sees that but you,” He sighed. Rosie shuffled forward and past the dwarves to where her friends sat, their feet dangling over the edge of the small cliff. They sat in silence hearing the distant squabbles between Gandalf and Thorin whilst they breathed fresh, clean air, allowing the magical aurora to course through them.

“I’m so ready for a bath,” Frankie sighed, her head tipped back, the sunlight pooling on her features.

"You are? I’m so ready just to get out of these _bloody clothes_ ,” Rosie sighed, lying down against the warm stone.

“Are you saying bloody because your clothes are literally covered in blood, or just because your British?” Cece asked, a smile in her voice. When Gandalf and Thorin were done, they got up and started heading down the stone steps to the open gates of Rivendell, the view was unbelievably breathtaking. Something that you just simply could not pull your eyes from even if you wanted to. They walked over the bridge and into the circular ledge where there was another set of stone stairs leading upwards.

“You ready to meet Lindir?” Cece whispered into the ears of her friends.

“Is he cute?” Frankie whispered back. Just then an elf began walking down the stone steps, greeting Gandalf. They conversed of Lord Elrond, with Gandalf asking of his whereabouts when a horn was sounded. Cece, without saying anything, grabbed her two friends and pulled them over to where Gandalf and Lindir were. Guiding them down safely onto the heated stone steps. The girls watched, amused, as the elves rode in, obviously not expecting a group of dwarves to be standing there. They watched how the dwarves prepared for an attack, listening to their obstinate king.

“Gandalf!” Came the call of their leader.

“Lord Elrond,” Gandalf smiled back. They conversed in Elvish causing the girls to raise an eyebrow, it was beautifully spoken, but hard to know its true beauty when they did not understand what they were saying. They conversed for a while soon switching back to the language which they understood.

“Welcome Thorin, son of Thrain,” Lord Elrond said, giving his utmost respect to the dwarf.

“I do not believe we have met,” Thorin simply retorted.

“You have your grandfather bearing,” Lord Elrond continued, “I knew Thror when he ruled under the mountain,” The girls winced at these words, not the best thing to say.

“Indeed, he made no mention of you,” Thorin replied, rather childlike. Lord Elrond gave Thorin a look before he started talking to Gandalf in elvish.

“What is he saying, is he offering us insult!” Gloin soon shouted from the pack followed by an angry cheer from the dwarves.

“No master Gloin he is offering you food,” Gandalf sighed. The dwarves gathered and talked for a moment before turning back to Gandalf.

“Well then, in that case, lead on,”

“Not so fast,” Gandalf replied. “Lord Elrond, I would like you to meet Rosanna, Francesca and Cecilia. Three humans who have joined us on our journey,” Gandalf said turning to the girls who stood up at the mention of their names.

“Lord Elrond,” Cece said, bowing low, Frankie and Rosie looked at each other over Cece before they too bowed low.

“Humans? You seem rather small to be of such a species?” Elrond responded.

“See that’s the thing, they’re not what some might call, _ordinary_ ,” Gandalf replied causing Lord Elrond to glance at him.

“Come, we shall speak of this later, first you must be fed and bathed,” Elrond said, leading the dwarves up the stairs.

* * *

A warm, steamy bath later the girls found themselves sharing a room with one overly large bed, in their normal world this would probably be an average king-sized bed, but to them, it was huge. The girls had stripped from their clothes and washed them too in the water, from their bathtub will they walked around in slipper silk robes. Then each girl took a turn in bathing herself, using what could only be elvish soaps and scrubs to clear the layer of grime they hadn’t realized they were wearing. They took time in this process, massaging every muscle that they could reach and humming gently as the warm water washed away the stress of the past few days. Once they were all finished they each searched through the cupboards with Frankie finding a sealed pot with some cool paste inside. They decided it was safe to use as a facemask so for fifteen minutes they all walked around with bright blue faces.

The clear air of middle earth had been kind to the girl’s skin. Whilst they had received a spot here and there, they never felt greasy or oily. It was like the air was a constant makeup wipe, clearing their skin with thick moisture from the saltiest seas.

After this, they hung up their battered clothes off the balcony barrier. Rosie couldn’t help but feel a deep Lana Del Rey vibe as their bras and panties drifted in a soft wind. They then tracked down a maid and questioned her about clothes, she promised to bring some children’s dresses that were spare.

“Isn’t this a bit, much?” Frankie asked holding up a beautiful gown that she had been offered.

“In our world, yes, in this world, who knows?” Rosie asked as she too stared at the gown, she had laid out before her.

“What do you think?” Cece asked as she walked out of the bathroom, she was wearing a floaty blue gown with golden trimmings, her long blonde hair was now combed and smooth, she had applied a single layer of mascara and a bit of lip balm. And she had never looked more flawless.

“Cece, I hope you understand you were born in the wrong world,” Frankie said as Cece did a little twirl the dress flowing out behind her. Rosie then disappeared into the bathroom with her own dress, it was greyish, blue with overly large sleeves. She stripped down and stared at the dress.

“Um, guys? Can you help me?” She called through. Before she knew it Frankie and Cece were both trying to get Rosie’s arms in the right holes and sleeves, it took the effort of the three girls to get fitted into the dress. When they were done, they straightened it out and laced up the fitted-in corset. When Rosie twirled, the dress spread out from her, it was a childhood dream come true.

“Okay, Frankie your turn,” Rosie smiled at her whilst she coated her lashes with some mascara. Frankie pulled on the dress with ease and only needed help from Cece to lace up the back. She looked at herself in the mirror and was taken aback at how different she looked and how well green popped on her chocolate skin.

“I can tell you right here right now, I'm going to get pissed with these sleeves,” Frankie sighed flapping her arms around trying to get her hands out of the long sleeves. When they were all dressed, they made a braiding train with Cece sitting on the floor, Rosie braiding her hair and Frankie braiding Rosie’s. When they felt ready the three girls gathered themselves and their dresses and made their way through the beautiful hallways, only getting lost twice.

As they entered, the meal fell silent. The girls understood it was probably the first time they looked like they belonged in their universe. They sat near the end of the table where there were three places left, positioned near Kili Fili and Dwalin. Rosie made a little squeak when she sat down causing the guys to raise an eyebrow.

“I’m just really glad,” Rosie gasped, “That where I come from, women don’t have corsets anymore,” She sighed as she tried to find a comfortable position to sit in. Frankie smirked and looked away from her friend to see Kili staring straight at one of the elves throwing her a boyish wink. Frankie flicked him hard on the forehead.

“What-why?” Kili snapped out of his trance and stared at Frankie.

“Stop making googly eyes at the elves and eat your dinner,” She said before turning to the meal, she tried to reach over for something but found that the sleeve of her dress would not allow her. “What the hell is the point of clothes if you can’t even move in them?” She growled.

“You look really pretty,” Cece smiled at her but it vanished from the look Frankie gave her, “Okay, yeah, I’ll shut up now,” She said before nibbling on a green leaf.

“Can’t say I fancy elf maids myself…too thin. They’re all high cheekbones and creamy skin, not enough facial hair for me, though, that one there’s not bad,” Kili then said, oblivious that we weren’t talking about elves. This comment caused him to get a hard punch in the arm from Rosie.

“Ow, mother fu- “ Rosie breathed grabbing her hand in protest, it felt like she just hit a brick wall.

“What did I do now?” He asked smirking at how Rosie was rubbing her knuckles.

“Don’t talk about women like that? Do you hear us talk about men that way?” Frankie growled for Rosie.

“Be my guest, I wouldn’t care,” Kili said, rolling his eyes. While he did this Frankie send a look to Rosie, they had been unleashed.

“Fine. Rosie, do you remember Daniel from the third floor?” Frankie smiled at Rosie over Kili. Rosie tried keeping a straight face.

“Why yes, yes I do,” She smiled to herself, “I think he’s one of the few things I miss from our world,” Rosie continued, “Well, him and his tongue,” At that moment Kili had taken a drink from his cup and ended up coughing it right back up again. Maybe women from this world weren’t so brazen.

“You all right there?” Fili called to his brother from a few places down, time to really humiliate Kili.

“Oh, he’s fine,” Frankie smiled at him, “We were just telling him about Daniel from the third floor,” She giggled whilst Fili just raised an eyebrow. “He had the sexiest voice didn’t he,” Frankie continued, looking somewhere over Dwalin’s shoulder who looked appalled.

“Well half the sex is in the voice, isn’t it?” Rosie continued, now a good few dwarves were listening in.

“Well if that were true, I think Thorin would be the sexiest man alive,” Cece said joining in, not really paying attention. This caused Frankie and Rosie to burst into laughter whilst the dwarves around them struggled to make coherent sentences.

“That’s, so, true!” Rosie gasped between laughter.

“If Thorin was an orange I’d squeeze all his juice!” Frankie suddenly cried, bringing up the inside joke between the three girls, which lapsed them all into another fit of giggles whilst the dwarves just stared at them, mouths open.

“If he was lolly, I’d give him a good sucking!” Rosie yelled over the laughter, this went on for a for around a minute, none of the girls ceasing to give up. However, the joke came to a wonderful end when Cece randomly shouted.

“If he was in Asda, I'd be all over his meat!” This caused the girls to stop laughing, stare at Cece, and then burst into such a loud and pure laughter that a few tears escaped their eyes. What Cece just said caused Thorin to turn around from where he was sitting.

“What on earth are you talking about?” He asked which caused Frankie to laugh so hard she fell off her chair.

“Stop, I’m pissing,” She gasped, from the floor.

“I’m deceased!” Rosie called out lying on the table, her head in her hands trying to stop the tears coming out of her eyes.

“I’m so creased I need an iron,” Cece said, giggling uncountable, meanwhile the dwarves still sat there in shock by the words coming out of their mouth. It took a while for the conversation to get back on track with Rosie still silently giggling to herself with her head on the table, and that was _before_ they started drinking.

* * *

“Why is your head that shape?” Cece gasped between giggles, holding onto Dwalins head. “It doesn’t, make, sense,” She laughed before flopping down on the floor where Frankie was, again, laughing her ass off.

“If I had two cats,” Rosie said leaning into Bofur, “I would call them sex and drugs,” She giggled with glee, staring at the whole company who seemed lost for words by their behaviour, “Ask me why, go on,” She urged the dwarves uncontrollably laughing.

“Why?” Fili asked as if he feared the answer.

“Because if I ever lost them,” She stopped to laugh before continuing, “I would have to walk around the whole block saying, ‘Excuse me, I’m looking for sex and drugs?’” Rosie dissolved into giggles as the dwarves just stared at her. It appears that due to their shrinkage in size, alcohol had a double effect.

“Okay bed, all of you,” Thorin suddenly came up growling.

“Why, Mr Grumps, on earth would we do that?” Frankie asked standing up, hand on hips, a leaf stuck in her hair.

“Mr Grumps?” Thorin just asked, he had not been there for the whole ‘every time we can recall Thorin saying something stupid let us drink’ game the girls shared.

“Yeah bro, why you gotta be so grumpy?” Cece asked stumbling over to Thorin, he ended up having to catch her when she fell over.

“Hey Thorin,” Rosie giggled from in front of him, leaning on Frankie for support.

“Ce’s falling for you,” She said with a wink before stumbling towards the stairs. Cece somehow got up and skipped after her. Frankie just turned to the group of dwarves.

“Your welcome,” She said before bowing low, turning around and walking straight into a pillar.


	11. Hangover Cure

Cece groaned deeply as she awoke. Looking around, she found that she had made it back into the bedroom, however, she was sprawled on the floor, a leg dangling in an open draw. She slowly made her way to her feet and walked into the bathroom to find Rosie sitting in the bath, fast asleep. She took a moment empty the contents of her stomach in the toilet before drinking a glass of water. Now time to find Frankie.

She stumbled down the stairs, gripping onto the bannister as she did so. Her head was throbbing, and her throat felt bone dry. She stumbled into the dining area and found the whole company staring at her, questioning looks.

“Morning all,” She sighed before sitting down at the table, she was still wearing her gown from last night however her hair was a bird’s nest and her mascara had dribbled down her face.

“Rough morning?” Bofur asked softly before pushing a glass of water towards her.

“Don’t I know it,” Cece sighed before downing the glass and laying her head on the table. “Where’s Frankie?” Came her muffled voice.

“She’s right there,” Someone said, Cece lifted her head to see Frankie lying on the floor not too far away, an empty wine glass in hand. Someone had carefully placed a pillow under her head and covered her with a blanket, Cece wondered who.

“What happened?” Cece asked staring at her dishevelled friend.

“She turned around, walked into a pillar, left her there,” Kili said, scoffing down some bread. Cece looked at Kili for a moment, thought about his answer before laying her head back on the table. It was a few minutes before anything happened that would make her lift her head up again.

“Who gave me alcohol?” Rosie moaned as she stumbled in. She was a mess. Rosie made her way to the table where she grabbed a jug of water, pouring herself a glass before slumping into an available seat. The lady elves gave her disapproving looks to the three girls, and if they saw, they really couldn’t care.

“You might wanna clean up a bit more before Thorin comes, he’s not too ‘appy about last night,” Dwalin said, chewing on something meaty. Rosie responded to this by shuffling and resting her head on Dwalin’s beefy shoulder, muttering some rude words under her breath. She then sat up straight taking a few deep breaths.

“How bad?” Rosie asked, not opening her eyes. When no answer came peeked out of one eye to see a selection of apologetic faces facing her.

“ _Brilliant_ ,”

* * *

 

Rosie, Frankie and Cece (with the help of two dwarf princes and Bofur) managed to make it back to their room in one piece. They laid the snoring Frankie down on the cosy bed and tucked her in the snug blankets, sleep was the best remedy to Frankie’s hangovers, it was best just to leave her alone. The three boys made sure that the three girls were okay before they left them to have a bath and get ready for the day.

“Rosie,” Cece called.

“Hmm?” Came Rosie’s response from where she was in the bathroom sloshing around in slightly chilly water, there was a pause before Cece continued.

“Do you think we could play some music?” The next pause came from Rosie.

“Go for it.” Cece dived into Frankie’s backpack and pulled out Frankie’s phone and speaker, which was thankfully small and portable. She turned it on and connected it to Frankie’s phone, she scrolled through Frankie’s music, looking for the perfect song. She soon found it and switched it on.

_Encountered all your aces you ain’t winning,_

_Your phone book full of numbers ‘stead of names._

A whoop of appreciation came from Rosie as Meet Me hummed through the room. Cece began singing along softly, her hangover still getting the best of her. As the song got further in Cece found herself swaying and dancing along, the beat getting the better of her.

_“I mean I really think you should_!” Rosie and Cece sang at the same time. You know if they weren’t currently at an elf kingdom surrounded by elves, dwarves, a hobbit and a wizard, you would think they were just at some nice 5-star hotel. Cece’s heart squeezed at the thought of home, she had been non-stop thinking of theories as to why they were currently here. Are we dead? This was the question which kept coming back to her, part of her honestly wondered, but a lot of her seemed to refuse to believe such a thing. She focused on the music and began full on dancing throughout the room, her serious hangover soon forgotten.

“Miss Cece,” came the voice of Gandalf from behind her, she slowly turned around to see the door of their room wide open, letting anyone who chose to pass get a full view of her dancing.

“Gandalf?” She asked, her cheeks flushed and slightly out of breath. She leapt across the bed and turned the speaker off so she could actually hear what Gandalf was about to say.

“I was just coming to inform you and your friends that tomorrow some elven guards will come knocking on your door, you have been invited to the office of Lord Elrond,” Gandalf said giving a knowing look, Cece felt herself begin to sweat all over.

“Um, okay, thank you Gandalf,” She said smiling, Gandalf turned to leave, “Oh wait!” She called after him, he turned around, “Do you know where we could find some more dresses, something you know… _appropriate_ ,”

After Gandalf promised to get an elf to send up some elven ladies with ‘more normal’ dresses he left Cece in peace. When Gandalf was gone, Rosie crept out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel.

“Is he gone?” She whispered, creeping across the floor.

“Yes,” Cece said turning around to face her friend.

“Hey guys, we were wondering if today oh- “Came the disgruntled voice of Fili as he walked past the door with his brother. When he peeked into their room both brothers slapped their hands on their eyes, it was probably due to Rosie’s clothing, or more _lack of_.

“Give us just, two minutes boys,” Rosie said after a while, shutting the door in the boy's faces. When she shut the door, she stared at Cece making a face like she was screaming but no noise was coming out. Rosie scrambled back into the bathroom with haste as Cece headed back to the door and opening it just a crack so anyone on the outside could only see her and nothing else.

“Hey guys,” Cece smiled as if nothing happened.

“Um…hi,” Kili trailed off.

“We were just wondering if you three would like to come and explore Rivendell with us today? We’re going to climb the waterfall,” Fili said, taking control of the situation. Cece nodded, that sounded nice.

“I mean I would love to,” She said smiling at Fili which earned her a dimpled grin in return. “I’m unsure of…” She trailed off staring back in the room to see her now waking Frankie and a nearly naked Rosie. “Hey, guys! Want to explore Rivendell before our meeting?” Cece asked. Rosie paused and then nodded, once again, heading back into the bathroom.

“Hmm?” Came the croak of Frankie from under the sheets, Cece turned back to the boys.

“That’s a yes from all of us then,” She smiled.

“Meet in the main hall in an hour,” Fili smiled again before walking away with his brother. Cece smiled after them until they disappeared around the corner before shutting the door. Time to go exploring.

When the girls were ready (as they’d ever be) they dragged themselves into the warm mid-day sunlight where the princes were waiting for them. The sun spilt on everything, illuminating even the darkest shadows. Pure heaven. The small group greeted each other and then wandered off to explore to nearby lands, not going too far of course.

The girls found it extremely relaxing to climb up the nearby waterfall and simply sit on the top of it, heads tipped back in pleasure as the sun poured its self on them. They made conversation with the boys who proved to be as funny and charismatic as the book and movies hinted at. They were currently going through all the different pranks they had pulled on different people, the funniest being when they pulled a prank meant for their friend and ended up giving their mother quite a fright. When the boys had reached just about the end of the list the small group sat in silence, enjoying the simple pleasure that was the view.

“I don’t know if I want to go back,” Frankie sighed lazily as she stretched out like a sleepy cat.

“I know what you mean,” Rosie sighed as she curled up into a ball, the warm stone behind her pulling her into a sleepy state.

“What’s your world like?” Fili asked, genuinely interested.

“Very different, more… _advanced_ ,” Cece trailed off, hoping that her words did not offend the handsome dwarf.

“Advanced?” Kili asked from where he was throwing stones into the waterfall, his voice sounded slightly offended. With a sigh Cece then described their world to them, her small audience gripping onto every word. Cece went through the ins and outs of their government and how even though some countries had kings and queens, people don’t really rely on them anymore (this was a rude awakening for the guys), she told them about the average home and how they had heating and electricity, and when she thought they were ready she told them about mobile phones.

“So, hold on a minute,” Fili said, chewing happily on all the information he had just been given. “There is this small, box thing, which allows you to talk to someone no matter where they are,” He said, seriously thinking that now the girls were just playing him.

“Yes,” Frankie said, they’d been over the mobile phone thing a few times now, the brothers were only just getting the hang of it. “We have two if you’d like to play with them,” Frankie yawned.

“Wait, you have one,” Kili’s eyes went wide with excitement, was this a bad idea?

“Sure, it does more than just allow you to call people. You can listen to music, play games, connect with other people, use social media…” Cece trailed off.

“Social media?” Fili asked.

“That is a whole other story,” Frankie said, waving her hand dismissively, Fili frowned but let it go.

"Could we see them?" Kili asked an eyebrow raised.

"Of course, they're back in our rooms, might as well use up the battery when we can," Cece smiled, looking at their faces she then went into what exactly batteries were. They stayed up there for around an hour and a half, chatting about this and that before the girls made a start to head back down.

"Woah, where are you going?" Fili asked, worried.

"Um...heading back down?" Rosie said as if it were obvious, which it was.

"You can't!" Kili said, leaping to his feet, there was a pause.

"And why not?" Frankie asked, hands on hips, the brothers looked at each other for a moment, having some sort of conversation in their heads.

"Uncle is angry at you," Fili finally said, another pause.

"So...?" Rosie questioned, she had come to realize that she wasn't afraid of Thorin. The boys just stared at her as if she had grown another head.

" _So...?_ So, he's mad, and trust me you don't want to get in the way of a mad Thorin," Kili said, obviously speaking from experience.

"Kili, sweetie, we can handle an angry Thorin," Frankie said sweetly but with an edge in her voice. "We've dealt with worse." Actually, that's not entirely true.

"So, you’re just going to go down there and face him?" Fili asked, astonished.

"Yes," Rosie said slowly.

"You do understand that uncle is already on the edge with you three," Fili pushed further, only looking out for the three new friends he had made. "When he gets someone to read the map he will probably still kick you out of the company."

"He wouldn't dare," Frankie said darkly, something changing in her.

"It's okay Fili, I know you worry for us, but everything is in control, we have a plan," Cece smiled reassuringly.

"We do?" Rosie asked, wondering if she had missed something.

"Yes," Cece sighed, "We are in Rivendell, Lord Elrond can read the map, and when he does, Thorin will realize that we were right. Even if he didn't read the map, how would he be able to explain that we've known everything that's happened so far? We will leave Rivendell in two weeks, in that time we will learn how to fight and fend for ourselves, maybe then he won't think of us as a burden," Cece said. Rose and Frankie nodded along.

"Good plan," Rosie smiled at her friend.

"Solid," Frankie agreed.

"If you want me and Fili can teach you how to fight, we're quite gifted in the art ourselves," Kili said, puffing his chest out proudly.

"Sure you are twinkle toes," Frankie smiled at him before tweaking his nose and walking away. Never before had a dwarf looked so confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SONG: Mickey Valen - Meet Me (feat. Noe)


	12. Bets and Beats

The girls returned to their room, this time they were accompanied by the princes who were very adorable in the sense that they had to ask thrice before they allowed themselves into the chambers. They laid out lazily and introduced the princes to the mobile phone.

“No Fili it’s okay, it’s touch screen,” Cece reassured as Fili refused to touch the small phone, believing his large hands would break it. They demonstrated how to use it and soon enough they had got the hang of it, still believing that it was some sort of sorcery.

“Want to listen to some music of our world?” Rosie asked, pulling out the speaker.

“Are you going to play for us?” Kili asked innocently and sweetly.

“Oh, heavens no,” Rosie almost laughed. “We can play any music we want from our phones,” She smiled at him. She connected the phone to the speaker and handed the phone to Kili. “Pick anything you want,” She smiled before flopping on the overly large bed. Kili raised an eyebrow before placing his finger on the screen and almost jumping out of his skin as _Can’t Hold Us – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis_ began playing from the speaker.

“Ah, a classic I see boys,” Frankie winked at them as she began nodding her head along. The boys stared in wonder and brought their ears to the little speaker, the music undoubtedly coming from it. They got even more scared when Macklemore began rapping.

“There’s someone in there!” Poor, innocent Kili shouted, throwing the speaker back onto the bed, the girls held back their laughter.

“No Kili, that’s just his recorded voice,” Cece cooed, like a mother would do a baby.

“Recorded, like wrote down?” Fili asked, his head turned at an angle.

“I’ll explain later,” Cece yawned and laid down on the bed trying to get some peace, it didn’t last long before Rosie and Frankie were jumping on the aforementioned bed singing along to the song.

_Can we go back, this is the moment_

_Tonight is the night, we’ll fight till it’s over_

_So we put our hands up like the ceiling can’t hold us_

_Like the ceiling can’t hold us_

The princes watched as the girls sang along to the words, wondering how they could possibly know so many. They defiantly got a fright when they even attempted rapping along to the lyrics, attempted being the keyword.

_NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA_

_HEY_

_NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA_

_HEY_

_NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA_

_OH_

_NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA_

_MACK-LE-OH-OH-OH-OH-MORE_

It was certainly entertaining to watch, and it was also fascinating to listen to their music. They went through some others until they came to one which was certainly different.

“Kili, another song!” Rosie called from where she was standing on the balcony, checking on their drying clothes. Kili looked through the ‘playlist’ as they called it and picked the next one on the list, a different sound began playing, something different to anything they had heard before.

“NO!” Frankie called, jumping across the room as it began playing through the speaker.

“What?” Fili called alarmed.

“Of all the songs we could blast through peaceful Rivendell, this is on the bottom of the list” Frankie sighed.

“What was it?” Cece asked, she knew there were some songs that were bad, but would could be so bad that Frankie reacted like that.

“Or Nah, Weekend,” Frankie said, Cece understood.

“Well I still want to hear it,” Kili said defiantly.

“Honey, you would not be able to last the song,” Rosie smiled as she walked in, Kili pulled a face. “I’m just saying that where we come from…we’re…more…open about our feelings,” She said, choosing her words carefully.

“If I last the whole song…” Kili trailed off, thinking of a bet, “You tell us what happens in the whole story.” The girls looked at each other.

“And if you lose?” Frankie asked, Kili thought.

“I persuade Dwalin to teach you how to fight,” He said. The girls again looked at each other, this was a hard bet, Cece shook her head.

“We’ll do it,” Frankie smiled and held her hand out to Kili, with Cece slapping her hand against her forehead, very animated. Kili and Frankie shook on it, Rosie put her earphone into Kili’s ears giving him shivers as Frankie connected the earphones to the phone. Fili watching the whole time, his brows furrowed, prepared in case anything should happen to his little brother.

“You ready?” Frankie asked. Kili nodded, the only thing on his face was inquisitiveness. Frankie stood back with the girls and watched Kili. For the first 16 seconds he was fine, then the lyrics began playing, his face contorted into a range of emotions, shock, disgust, embarrassment. Frankie couldn’t help her chuckles as she watched him, whilst his brother sat there, worried. It came to a point where Kili simply squeezed his eyes shut and tried to make it through. The girls weren't sure which exact lyric which caused him to snap but at some point, Kili’s eyes flicked open and he simply gave a short ‘nope’ before ripping out the earphone. He let out a mutter of words not pulling together a comprehensible sentence.

“Kili? Kili, are you okay?” Fili asked apprehensively, Kili didn’t answer his brother just turned around the giggling girls.

“How? Why? Wh- WHY?” Kili spluttered out triggering the girls to burst out into full-fledged laughter.

“Oh poor, sweet, innocent Kili,” Rosie sighed attempting to wrap her arms around the dwarves thick shoulders, she failed and ended up with some sort of half hug, this surprised the dwarf, hugs were seemed as a very intimate action, he had to keep reminding himself that it was probably different where she came from. Frankie suddenly joined in and eventually Cece, till all three girls had managed to hug Kili from all around.

“Come join the group hug Fili,” Came the muffled voice of Frankie, Fili simply raised an eyebrow as he watched Kili’s face, looking like he just won all the gold in Erebor.

It wasn’t too long before the princes made their departure, they left the girls with a promise to sometime return. The girls bid their farewell for the evening and spent the rest of the day nattering between themselves whilst they sat on the balcony and watched the warm sky become streaked with pink and blue. It was again, effortlessly beautiful.

Today, so far, had been the fastest day to pass since they started the journey. The day seemed to rush by, a flurry of conversations and memories being made. This was, of course, because the three girls had started to loosen up and, well, have fun.

When it became late the girls found themselves traveling down for some dinner to only be welcomed warmly by the dwarves. They sat down and for the first time ever, felt like a part of the company. They contributed to conversation and heard many stories and jokes throughout the meal, they also managed to tell a few, startled that the dwarves were interested in what they had to say.

The only downfall of the perfect day was the fact that Thorin did not show his face at dinner. Rosie had whispered in her ear that Thorin was to have the map read by Lord Elrond tonight, he was currently debating with Balin on whether he should or not share the map's secrets with someone outside the company, an elf for that matter. Rosie felt a shiver travel the length of her spine, she knew that Thorin had enough sense to hand the map over, but that was in the other story, the one she wasn’t in.

After the pleasant meal, they headed back to their rooms where they once again sat on the balcony, simply enjoying the silence which surrounded them. None of them could sleep, especially after what Rosie told them about Thorin. They all knew that somewhere in Rivendell Thorin was learning the truth about what the map contained and therefore was learning that he needed to trust the three girls, something which was not going to come easily.

The three girls had faith though. Faith in the company which surrounded them. Faith that they would be accepted as true members of the company.

Faith that they could save them.


	13. Office of an Elf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> \- Some answers

Frankie was awoken by the cooing of a bird. Shuffling from the uncomfortable position she found herself in, she opened her eyes to perforating sunlight and a small bird, chirping happily on the ledge of their balcony. She had fallen asleep on the hard balcony floor alongside her two best friends. She went back into the room and retrieved a beautifully woven blanket which she placed on top of her companions, protecting them from the slight nip in the air.

Frankie dreaded going downstairs, for she knew that there was a certain dwarf who she had not seen since she did some painstakingly drunk things in front of him. He had also read the map meaning he now knew that they were telling the truth from the beginning. _I hope he see’s past his stubbornness_ Frankie thought leaning on the balcony, she had a brilliant view of Rivendell as it slowly awoke. Soon came the sound of voices from below, she leant further over the balcony and felt her body turn to ice when she saw Thorin himself conversing with Balin.

“Thorin be reasonable!” Balin called after Thorin as the king plundered forward, striding away from the dwarf, “Thorin!” Balin called once more.

“What?” Thorin snapped, Frankie winced.

“Thorin, we now know that they were telling the truth,” Frankie could only make the guess that they were talking about her and her friends, “They have been telling the truth since the start, they’ve been wanting to help us since the start,” Balin continued, obviously trying to persuade Thorin to do something.

“Help us,” Thorin again spat out, “I do not need help.” Frankie rolled her eyes, he was getting a little too big for his boots.

“Thorin you cannot retake this mountain without help. You even asked it from us.” Balin’s voice had switched from persuasion to a strict tone. “And we gladly accepted, for it is our duty as Durin folk to be strong hearted, loyal and brave,” Balin’s voice was softer again yet lost none of its vigor, “Those are traits that I not only see in every dwarf in this company but something I see in those three women…and that hobbit too!” He said. Thorin was now a mix between angry and defeated.

“This quest is no place for any woman,” Thorin said clearly, but there was something else in his voice, something Frankie couldn’t quite decipher.

“Aye, maybe. But these are not any women that are from our world, are they?” Balin said, in an all-too-knowing voice.

“No.” Thorin sighed. “But what if they get hurt, injured, I will not have that responsibility on my shoulders,” Thorin said, Frankie could agree to this.

“Well you see I was talking to young Kili the other day, and he had been conversing with the girls and knows for a fact that they are going to learn how to fight and fend for themselves,” Balin said.

“I do not like how much time my Nephews are spending with them,” Thorin said again, this caused another eye-roll from Frankie.

“Let them have it. It appears the three women are the first women that the princes have not tried too-“ Balin started but was cut off by Thorin raising his hand.

“Enough. That is a subject I do not wish to talk about so early in the morning,” Thorin sighed. Frankie then realized that the king must have been up all night, reflecting on what the map said. And for a moment Frankie could see through Thorin’s stubborn exterior and into the man who only wished a better life for his people, a man who was crossing borders and contesting battles for his own people, for the possibility of a better life.

As Frankie was mulling this over she didn’t realize that her two friends had awoken at some point and were to listening in on the conversation. Similar thoughts ran rampant in each other’s minds. Thorin and Balin left and in doing so left the girls with their own thoughts and wonders to muse on.

Today was the day that the three humans were going to meet with Lord Elrond to discover their true purpose of why they are here, and whether they would be able to return. They didn’t talk for a long time, each lost in their own jungle of thoughts.

“We need a plan,” Cece said eventually, she was pacing the room, she always thought better when she paced.

“What kind of plan?” Frankie asked from the chair she was currently curled up in.

“On this, everything, right up to the battle,” Cece said, still lost in her thoughts, there was silence for a few seconds.

“Well, what do we want from this quest?” Rosie asked running a hand down her face, “What goes wrong that we need to fix?”

“Thorin, Fili and Kili’s…” Frankie trailed off, the thought was getting harder and harder each time she thought of it, as time was passing she was getting close with the dwarves, they were soon becoming good friends and almost best friends to her, to become their friend knowing the ending of their story made her physically sick.

“Yes, I think we will have to make a plan for that when we reach Laketown,” Cece sighed, “What we do will have to depend on a whole array of things which could or couldn’t happen. Does Thorin get sick? If so how badly? Does Kili fall in love with Tauriel? If so is he willing to give his life?” She trailed on, making her point.

“Fine, well what happens next?” Frankie asked.

“Goblins. We fall into the Goblin cave, pro- Bilbo finds the ring and con- Azog knows where we are,” Cece said.

“The pros far outweigh the cons,” Frankie said.

“Also, I think we need for Thorin to see Azog, maybe not have that little showdown but at least see him and know that he lives. Then it won’t come as such a shock at the battle,” Rosie added, so they had one thing decided.

“The only thing I’m wondering about is if we should go through Mirkwood,” Frankie sighed, getting up and stretching.

“No we have to go to Mirkwood,” Cece said abruptly, she began to explain, “I believe that when we get inside we can make a deal with Thranduil, we give him his gems of pure starlight in return for his help in the battle against the orcs and goblins.”

“Good thinking, but what about Thorin, won’t he be pissed?” Rosie wondered knowing of the hatred Thorin shared for the elves, especially a certain blonde haired king which denied him aid when Thorin needed it most.

“Again, I guess it depends on how close we get to him and how sick he will be at that point,” Cece continued, “If he’s sick,” she added.

“For now, I guess we just have to see what happens next,” Frankie sighed.

“As long as we know what the next thing to do is, we’ll be fine,” Cece said reassuringly. The girls then allowed silence to fill the air, alone in their thoughts. They each began getting ready for the day, no one said much but the silence wasn’t uncomfortable. As Gandalf said there came a knock at the door from two elven maids, they entered the room and laid three dresses on the bed before turning around and leaving, saying nothing. The girls then dressed in the simple gowns and braided their hair.

It wasn’t long before there was another knock at the door, this time there were two elven guards, they were men and could not be any more flawless. The girls gathered themselves and their dresses where (for safety) they had hidden a knife on themselves each. It was more getting used to carrying a weapon 24/7 than anything. They were led through the primaeval hallways and eventually were taken into a beautiful study with a large desk. They were alone for a few precious seconds, admiring the exquisite and attractive office before Lord Elrond appeared with Gandalf.

“Ah girls,” Gandalf welcomed, patting each of them on the back, “I see you made it.” This seemed to be enough of a greeting for Gandalf and Elrond.

“Okay, I believe we have an important matter to discuss,” Elrond said, smiling warmly at the girls.

“Yes,” Gandalf said, his face turning serious. “Girls, would you care to tell your story to Lord Elrond,” Gandalf said, staring at the girls. Rosie started, describing everything in as much detail as she could remember. She started from their car crash, a whole world away, and went through the story. Cece and Frankie would join in at points, explaining this and that. By the end of it, Elrond looked like he was deeply lost in his thoughts.

“So how do you know of this, of this quest,” Elrond asked, Gandalf listened carefully.

“Well, where we come from…” Cece started, “It’s in a book,”

“A book?” Elron questioned.

“Yes, um. It’s a story, a famous one at that, and we know what happens. We know the ending to this story and in some ways, it’s not happy,” Cece winced, there was a pause.

“Tell us,” Gandalf said. So Cece did. She told them how they were to leave and enter the goblin cave and Bilbo would come across the ring and Azog would be alerted of their whereabouts, of the standoff between Thorin and Azog, Beorn’s house, Mirkwood, Laketown and eventually, the battle.

“The battle with the dragon is successfully in the sense that the dragon is slain and Erebor is retaken, but…” Cece said, her voice now hoarse.

“The line of Durin falls to the hand of Azog the Defiler,” Rosie finished. Silence.

“Does anyone else…” Elrond asked.

“No,” Frankie responded, again silence as the elf and wizard reflected on this new information.

“Well, you have predicted things such as the trolls and how we got to Rivendell, I can safely say that I believe you,” Gandalf said.

“Go over how you got here again,” Elrond said, lost in his thoughts. Rosie recounted the tale of the car crash and waking up in Middle Earth.

“Are we dead?” Cece whispered, not looking at Elrond, her eyes glassy. Rosie and Frankie flicked their eyes to their friend and then to the elf.

“I cannot be sure,” He winced, “I wish I could give you the answers you so truly deserve, but I have never heard of a story like this. It is possible that you have…passed in your world, but even if you had not, I do not believe you could make your way back,” Elrond admitted sadly. The girls each reacted differently, but none of them showed it.

“So, what now?” Frankie whispered.

"Well it appears, that it is fate that you travel on this quest," Elrond said, knowingly, "You have been pulled from your world to join ours, it’s no coincidence,"

“So we’re going to finish this story,” Cece breathed. “We’re going to finish the story,” She said with more strength. “And we won’t let them die.”

“None of them,”


	14. Apology Pancakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -Nice Thorin for a change

Two days passed and the company saw nothing of the three girls, Rosie, Frankie and Cece did not see much of each other either. For each of them, they had found their own solitary place. The news that they may or may not be dead and that they could probably never make it back home had shaken the girls harshly. It took two days for them to think it over, to dwell on the past and try to move on. To remember the faces of their families and friends and to hold on tightly to what they had from their other world, yet also let it go. They met with each other on the second day, helping each other through this rough time and making promises to keep each other safe.

It was on the morn of the third day that the company first heard the girls. It was in the early hours of daylight and they could hear some unusual noises coming from within Rivendell, the company, always moving in a pack, travelled downstairs weapons raised to fight. They were shuffling along the corridor just outside the kitchens when some faint piano sound was heard, gradually getting louder. What they didn’t understand was, what they were actually hearing, was the beginning of _Bob Seger – Old Time Rock and Roll_. What came next was the most astonishing thing they had seen so far that some of them dropped their weapons with a clatter from shock.

Frankie came skidding from the kitchens into the hallway wearing nothing but some extremely short shorts, oversized white socks, a turned up shirt and holding a whisk in her hand. She had her back to the company and turned around, eyes shut dancing along to the music.

_Just take those old records off the shelf,_

_I said I'll listen to them by myself,_

_Today's music ain't got the same songs,_

_I like that old time rock'n'roll,_

The company watched as the girl danced along to the music they had never heard, taking no notice of the dwarves who stood there watching her. Soon following Frankie was Rosie who skidded in just like Frankie did dancing in the weirdest way, Cece followed after that however she had acquainted herself with some pants. The girls danced to the music for a while before Cece stopped dead, being the first to realize that they had company, literally. Cece smacked Frankie who too stopped, however, no one could stop Rosie who was now attempting to do the worm.

“Thorin! Hey!” Frankie drawled out, Rosie (mid-way worm) stopped and looked up to see the company staring at her. Slowly she brought herself to her feet, nodded at the company and walked straight back into the kitchen. Frankie and Cece followed and it wasn’t too long before the company bustled in after them. The scene was interesting, it seemed that the girls were baking something, and they could only presume it was for them as the girls had also set out a table for seventeen places (their wizard was busy elsewhere).

Fili and Kili immediately recognized the source of the music, it was the speaker which they had been introduced to not too long ago. Puffing their chests out with pride they explained to the group how the speaker worked, impressing everyone with their knowledge.

“And there are some songs that you can’t listen to,” Kili said, speaking about the bet he lost. “Which reminds me, Dwalin you need to teach the girls how to fight,” Kili said to the robust dwarf.

” Why?” The dwarf replied, not sure whether to be happy or mad about the situation, he too had grown close and even protective of the girls.

“Lost a bet,” Kili grumbled, the girls sniggering behind him.

“What are you making Miss Rosie?” Bombur asked the stout dwarf questioned as he looked into Rosie’s pan.

“We, Master Bombur, are making my mother’s legendary pancakes, think of it like a celebratory meal to my parents…and Cece’s and Frankie’s too,” Rosie smiled sadly at the dwarf, Cece was on measuring duty and was constantly providing more and more of the products that they needed (they took one look in the cupboards and only found the ingredients for pancakes), Frankie was on mixing duty keeping a rotation of two bowls and two batches of pancake mixture.

“Pancakes?” Bombur questioned as he watched Rosie flip one over in the pan with a small wooden stick.

“Well there more like crepes actually,” Rosie sighed as she slipped the now finished pancake on a plate. “Here, have the first one, some honey is on the table. There’s also some fruit and sugar I recommend you put anything citrus with the sugar…they were mum’s favourite,” Rosie said as she started the next one. Bombur thanked her gratefully whilst Kili called asking why he didn’t get the first one since he was their ‘favourite dwarf’.

Bombur took the pancake to the table and dug in doing exactly as Rosie suggested, squeezing half an orange and sprinkling some sugar before diving in. It, was, delicious. Soon everyone was asking for some. The girls cranked up the tunes and soon got into a rhythm of making pancake after pancake for the dwarf’s bottomless stomachs. Bilbo waited until the end of the line earning him an extra pancake and a wink from Rosie making him blush deeply. They danced around the kitchen passing things to each other like they had been living here their whole lives.

When every dwarf and hobbit had eaten enough pancakes the girls make a few for themselves (and kept them hidden from the dwarves) before cleaning up and joining the company at the table, they squashed themselves in like one big happy family.

“That was delicious,” Bombur smiled happily, rubbing his hefty stomach, mummers of agreement fluttered from around the table.

“Thank you boys,” Frankie smiled, gratified.

“To what do we owe the pleasure,” Came a deep voice at the end of the table. You didn’t even need to look up to know which dwarf had said it. Rosie looked up at Thorin and smiled softly.

“We have been ignoring you for the last two days without any explanation, this is sort of liken our apology gift,” She said, trying not to go too deep on the matter, it was like a scab on a huge wound, if only she didn’t pick at it or get it picked.

“Apology pancakes,” Cece continued, lathering the honey on thick.

“May we ask why you have been avoiding us,” Balin asked, almost as if he was afraid of the answer. The girls all paused what they were doing, this was the one question that the girls had not found a prominent answer to – do we tell the company? Some thought yes and others thought no, but in that moment, sitting around a table full of people with nothing but concern in their eyes, they knew what they had to do.

“We – um, we… We discovered that in the world where we come from we may or may not be dead,” Cece started, gripping onto her fork tightly.

“And even if we are dead, there’s probably no chance of us ever getting back,” Frankie continued, staring straight ahead not looking at anyone.

“Which means that whether we like it or not, we’re stuck here,” Rosie finished off. There was a moment of silence as the company shared the distress of the girls and in that moment then the girls truly understood that the people who surrounded them were no longer simply characters in a book, they were their friends, and they were there for them.

“I am sorry for your loss,” Thorin said, and he honestly sounded sincere. “And I would like to offer you a full-time place in this company,” He finished off, this caught the girls by surprise.

“Pardon?” Cece asked, not sure she heard him right.

“I would like to offer you a chance to travel to the lonely mountain and slay a beast which took something from us not too long ago. You will each earn your own amount of share from the riches of the halls and you have our promised protection. I cannot ensure that you will make it back, or that this quest will not change you, but I am sure that you told the truth on the night in the Shire, and for that, I now see that you simply want to help us.” The girls were touched by Thorin’s speech, when they looked at Thorin they no longer saw a stubborn dwarf, but they saw a man who was taking every precaution to make sure that his company stayed safe. They only hoped that he would stay like this, that the gold sickness would not pierce into his mind and corrupt his soul.

“Of course, you can turn the offer down if you wish, no one here is pressuring you to accept anything,” Thorin said after no sound came from the girls.

“We would love to,” Rosie breathed and the table erupted into a cheer. “But can you promise us something else,” Rosie continued, everyone on edge. “Can you promise us that after we slay the beast and retake your homeland. After we fight for our lives and battle through wars, that you will open your halls to us as a home. We have nowhere to go. We have nothing,” Rosie spoke, never breaking eye contact with Thorin.

“It would be an honour,” Thorin said, inclining his head in a small nod, another cheer and the rest of the meal was taken over by talk of killing tactics.

“No, the easiest way to kill a man would be a small dagger to the heart, they have thin skin and weak bones,” Dwalin said, knowledgeably.

“Dwalin, you know the thing that Kili asked you to do?” Frankie asked.

“Aye,” Dwalin asked, a bushy eyebrow raised.

“Would you…” Frankie trailed off, a question in her voice. Dwalin paused for a moment before breaking out into a large smile.

“Aye,” He cheered, slapping Frankie on the back, this caused Frankie to choke on the piece of pancake she had in her mouth but at the same time but she was smiling.

“Wanna’ start today lass?” Dwalin asked.

“We’d love to!” Rosie smiled, over-excited.

“Calm down Rosie, you look like a kid on Christmas,” Cece giggled.

_“Christmas?”_


	15. Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -Dwalin being a teacher  
> -Cute Thorin + Rosie moment

“Okay now lean back, that will be your advantage,” Dwalin said watching carefully as Frankie did as he said perfectly. “Very good.” It was late in the afternoon and the girls had spent the whole day starting their training sessions. Different people had dropped by at different points of the day however the prince brothers had not once left their side.

“Maybe when you want to Frankie, I can teach you how to use that bow of yours!” Kili called from the side, Frankie only hummed in response as she successfully landed a tap on Cece. Cece groaned as she was yet again defeated by Frankie.

“I suck,” Cece sighed.

“And Frankie swallows!” Rosie called from where she was gripping onto Dwalin’s back trying to get him on the floor, failing miserably.

“Woah! What did I do?” Frankie called playfully, unable to conceal her laughter, the three dwarves simply raised an eyebrow. By the end of their training session, the sky was dark and the stars shone brightly from where they were scattered, the girls had acquainted their own selection of bruises off today's work. They sleepily made their way back up to their rooms before each of them taking a warm bath and slipping between the sheets, almost instantly falling asleep.

This was how things worked for a whole week, the girls waking up before the crack of dawn to meet Dwalin, Fili and Kili in their training area. They would work the whole day only stopping for lunch until the sun had set. The progress was extremely visible, the girls managed to pick it up easily, even Cece. However, it was one thing to spar and another to try and kill someone.

Frankie managed to get out of afternoon lessons soon since she and Kili would disappear into the woods to practice using the bow and arrow. Fili ended up majorly teaching Cece, showing her all the different ways to use her selection of daggers, he was after all a dagger master.

That meant Rosie had found herself with Dwalin who refused to take it easy on her. For the first part of the week, she stood no possible chance against him, being thrown this way and that. She had the most bruises since instead of learning how to fight with a weapon she was first learning hand-to-hand fighting. Except on one day she somehow managed to predict most Dwalin’s moves this meant she could sneak a few of her own in. She was still nowhere near defeating Dwalin, but it was better than being a punching bag.

Although the girls repeatedly got pushed down into the mud, none of them gave up, refusing to show the dwarves a weak side to them. They were all stubborn in their own way, not dwarf-stubborn but something similar. Soon Dwalin started to teach Rosie how to use her sword, but not before running a short test on her.

“Good job Rose,” Dwalin sighed happily, Rosie had just successfully spared with Dwalin for a full 10 minutes, sure he was going very easy on her but still for a week’s worth of time it was damn good. It was midday and the sun was beating down on them harshly. Both their bodies were shiny with sweat, Rosie was wearing a thin tunic and some leggings and had her hair pulled out of her face, wisps falling out and framing her face.

“Good, now this time, hurt me,” He said.

“But- “Rosie started.

“No buts,”

“But- “

“No. “Dwalin cut her off, Rosie sighed and got ready. Right at this moment, Thorin had stopped by to check on the progress, and he obviously had to come right when Dwalin was going to go full-notch. “1, 2, 3!” Dwalin shouted before charging at Rosie, eyes blazing. Rosie did not expect this and ended up clumsily diving to the side as Dwalin crashed into the space where she just was. He then dived for her giving her milliseconds to roll again away, she turned and stood up seeing Dwalin on the floor, this was her chance. She jumped on his back, not really doing much and pushed his head down to the stone with her foot. Of course, what she forgot was that Dwalin wasn’t going easy.

Dwalin simply stood up, Rosie falling clumsily off his back and onto the thick stone ground causing both Thorin and Rosie to wince. Dwalin leapt up, quick and agile, Rosie groaned where she was on the floor causing Dwalin to pause for a moment where he was about to check on whether she was hurt. Rosie used this to her advantage and leapt up bringing her knee to his groin, the attack hit its mark and Dwalin keeled over for a moment, Rosie again brought up her knee and it collided with Dwalin’s face he, moved back. Thorin smiled. Rosie prepared for Dwalin to come back at her but Dwalin just laughed and clapped.

“Well done lassie, but don’t hold back next time, when you knee me in the face really go for it!” He critiqued but clapped her on the back all the same. Thorin smiled once more, pleased with her progress before going to view how Frankie and Kili were getting along in the woods.

“Now lassie, we got hand-to-hand almost nailed we should work on that sword of yours, get it out,” Dwalin said, wiping his forehead down with a cloth. Rosie pulled the sword from her bag, once again feeling power course through her and handed it to Dwalin. Dwalin nodded and flipped the blade over, he then unsheathed it and viewed the blade with a frown.

“I am unsure of which race could have forged this blade, it is certainly not elvish, dwarvish or human. These markings along the hilt, some are in Khudzul, others I do not know. It does not matter. Take the blade and hold it straight in front of you,” Dwalin instructed and Rosie did as told. Dwalin nodded as he encircled Rosie, lost in thoughts.

“You picked a perfect blade for your body, does it not feel like an extension of your arm?” Dwalin asked, impressed. Rosie nodded. The rest of the day was spent as an introduction to using the sword, this seemed easier to Rosie than hand-to-hand combat.

Another week passed and soon Rosie had mastered hand-to-hand and was getting rather good with a blade. She spent more time with Fili this week since Dwalin preferred to use an axe, she became good friends with Fili at this time. He was sweet and caring yet strong in his own sense. He told Rosie of how he dreaded to become the next king and how he feared for his uncle and his little brother, with Rosie’s knowledge it softly broke her heart.

By the end of the two weeks the company had chosen a day to leave, and soon it was their last night in Rivendell and it was spent feasting by themselves in front of an open fire. Thorin and Gandalf had disappeared but the girls were certain they could handle themselves. At one point Bofur threw a sausage at his overweight cousin causing him to fall through the table he was sitting on, this caused the dwarves to roar with laughter and glee.

Rosie, Frankie and Cece however, watched at their hobbit friend sneaked away, pausing for a moment before they followed close behind. They went up some stairs not making their presence apparent where they stood and watched sleepy Rivendell, soon the faint voices of Gandalf and Lord Elrond could be heard.

“Of course I was going to tell you I was waiting for this very chance,” Came the voice of Gandalf, this couldn’t be good, “And really I think you could trust that I know what I’m doing,” He said.

“Do you?” Came Elrond’s voice, “That dragon has slept for 60 years, what will happen if your plan should fail…” The girls listened as Elrond and Gandalf spoke, Elrond seemed to be showing himself in a different light right now, and the girls weren’t quite sure if they liked it. The hobbit at some point glanced behind him and saw the three girls and behind them, Thorin. Gandalf and Elrond began discussing Thorin himself, making everyone quite tense.

“Have you forgotten? A string of madness runs deep in that family. His grandfather lost his mind! His father has fallen to the same sickness, can you swear? Thorin Oakenshield will not also fall?” Elrond said. Rosie winced. Looking behind she saw Thorin staring down at the floor, his face riddled with anger and…fear.

“Gandalf, these decisions do not rest with us alone it is not up to you or me to re-draw the map of middle earth…” Elrond’s voice continued, getting further away. Bilbo turned and trotted back the way he came, an innocence surrounding him, Frankie and Cece following behind. Rosie was about to go when she turned around and grabbed the wrist of Thorin, he glanced at her, his face unreadable.

“I promise, I won’t let you fall for the gold sickness,” She said, there wasn’t much she could really do about the gold sickness but like her dad said, she could always try. “I swear it,” This seemed to make him feel better and he nodded his head.

“Thank you,” He whispered, his voice cold.

“But there’s one thing you must promise me,” She said, her voice now to a whisper.

“Don’t let your stubbornness let the sickness in. If you feel the effects, then say it. The first step to solving a problem is admitting there is a problem,” She said like a mother would do a child, softly and warmly. Thorin nodded and turned away from Rosie, wanting to be alone. Rosie got the jest and walked back down the stairs.

They were to leave Rivendell tomorrow.


	16. Thunder Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -The mountain giant fight  
> -Leaving Rivendell

The girls naturally awoke before dawn due to their training sessions over the past two weeks. They dressed in their old clothes since the only clothes the elves could provide were dresses. They repacked their bags and slipped weapons wherever they could, they were ready. They sneaked downstairs, careful not to awake the elves, sticking to the plan that Thorin had drawn, the company were to sneak out whilst Gandalf was conversing with Saruman.

They met all met up and set off, leaving Rivendell behind. They began climbing away, the girls feeling upset of leaving such a beautiful place behind, however, onwards and upwards. If they were to make it to the very end of the story and further then they would one day revisit Rivendell.

“Be on your guard! We’re about to step over the edge into the wild, Balin you know these paths lead on,” Thorin said, there was something in his voice, it appears he was affected by Elrond’s words more than the girls had thought. The girls kept near the front of the group conversing with Fili and Kili as they did so. The view was stupendous and at some point during a break they stopped to take photos.

“What are you doing?” Balin asked as Frankie held up her phone to a beautiful view of the mountains.

“Taking a photo, look,” Frankie said showing Balin the screen of her phone which now showed the mountainside before them. “Now I have that, so if I have my phone, I can remember what it looked like,” She smiled warmly. Balin nodded, he was very impressed.

They continued.

Hills of rolling grasslands, trees as tall as skyscrapers, waterfalls demanding to be heard with their wild rush of water, mountains dazzling with sparkling snow, rocks weathered and beaten but still standing. No place on earth could amount to the beauty that was middle earth.

It wasn’t soon before they found themselves travelling along a mountainside as a tempestuous storm took place above their heads. They had warned the company of this and the fight of the mountain giants, unfortunately since Thorin understood that no one gets hurt during this particular chapter, they chose to still plunder through. The girls had not yet told the company of the goblin cave, and were not intending to, sticking to their own plan of letting Bilbo meet Gollum.

The girls had their cloaks billowing around them as they stuck close to the mountainside, frightful of falling. The storm clattered overhead, the thunder so deep and strong it rattled through their bones. The rain beat down on them so harshly that a drop of rain to the bare skin would sting.

Thorin shouted words of encouragement from the front of the company, the girls were not far behind, the order was Frankie, Kili, Rosie, Fili and the Cece, the five of them sticking like glue. The company trudged on aware that this was to be no thunderstorm, but more of a thunder battle in the words of Balin.

“We must find shelter!” Thorin called back again.

“You think?” Frankie called back, she was a little pissed off by the fact that all Thorin was doing was stating the obvious.

“Look out!” Dwalin called. Oh shit, here we go Rosie thought as a dark figure from the mountain broke away, looming above them. A large chunk of rock was thrown from the midst of the figure and slammed into the mountain not too far above their heads. Cries and shouts erupted from the company as they watched the rock splinter and crumble away. Whatever threw that must have had some serious strength. They cowered against the mountainside, careful not to get hit by any falling stone.

“The legends are true!” Bofur called as a mountain giant stood and casually tore off some rock, they had all expected this from Frankie, Rosie and Cece’s predictions, but no words could aggregate what they saw before them.

“Remember, we are on one! I can’t remember where it splits but-“ Cece called to the company as she gripped onto Fili next to her. Just in that moment a deep groan emitted from the mountainside behind them and a sickening cracking noise was heard. Rosie looked down with fear as the rock between her feet fell apart. She gave a short scream as one of her feet fell through but the prince brothers on either side of her grabbed each of her arms.

“Rosie!” A voice called out in distress, but she couldn’t be sure who, she was pulled up onto Kili’s side, wait, wasn’t this the side that…

“Kili!” Fili called as the two ledges of rock either group was standing on was pulled away from each other. The rock began viciously falling away and another deep sound erupted from the mountain. Soon they could see the mountain giants form in the darkness, they watched as it stood up, gripping on for dear life.

The companies poor mountain giant suffered harshly as another slammed it’s ‘head’ against its own, our mountain slithered away, their legs flying somewhere else. The girl’s voices screamed and screamed just like everyone else. It was like being on some sick park ride, but with the knowledge that you weren't strapped in.

Cece and Fili’s group managed to land next to another stone ledge, clumsily they jumped off and began running alongside it, Fili’s hand never leaving the small of Cece’s back.

“Frankie! Rosie!” Cece called to her friends as she heard their screams. She knew they would be okay, but what if…The small group watched in horror as the rest of the company hanged on for dear life yelling and screaming as they were flung side to side as the mountain giants continued to battle it out.

As the mountain giants continued to fight there came a point where each of the groups passed by each other and Rosie had a very, very stranger urge to laugh, the sickening feeling of being a rollercoaster was stronger than ever. Cece saw her friends and saw that the jagged stone had cut the cheek of Frankie, her worry doubled. Frankie and Rosie screamed again as their mountain began to collapse, they knew what they had to do, they had to jump at the right place and time or they would fall and for the second time in a few months, die.

Rosie twisted her head and saw Kili pull Frankie by the hand as they jumped to the ledge. Rosie looked around and in milliseconds grabbed Bilbo, picked him up and jumped making sure that they would land on her back. Rosie felt herself slam into the ground, her head jarring and everything for a moment lit on fire, and for a few seconds, there was darkness.

Cece watched in trepidation as the mountain giant’s leg slammed into the stone to their left. She saw Rosie jump with what looked like Bilbo in her arms but she saw nothing of Kili or Frankie, this caused her to almost burst into tears right there on the spot.

“Kili!” Both Thorin and Fili called as they ran over to the side.

“Frankie! Rosie!” Cece shouted, feeling something hot finally spill from her eyes, she scrambled after the group and there found a group of dwarves, Frankie lying on top, not too far behind her was Rosie who had crumpled on the floor Bilbo in her arms.

“Rosie!” Thorin called before Cece could and ran over to her, it was understandable, out of everyone she looked like she had been hurt.

“I’m okay,” Came Rosie’s faint voice, Cece sighed before pulling Frankie and a frazzled Rosie into a hug.

“Never do that to me again,” She managed to get out, tears now streaming freely from her eyes, all her friends could do was nod as they made their way into the cave following the company. Rosie groaned as she entered, the company had already set up a camp, they were far too good at that.

“Rosie!” Bilbo called running across the cave and into her arms. “Thank you,” He breathed in her ear making her smile although her head was throbbing.

“It’s okay,” She whispered back and stood up.

“Oin, take a look at her,” Cece said sitting Rosie down in front of Oin’s bedroll.

“I’m fi- “Rosie began.

“Don’t argue with me,” Cece hissed, her inner mother coming out. Oin nodded and checked Rosie over whilst the company gathered around.

“Will she be okay?” Ori asked, full of worry.

“She’ll be fine lad,” Nori said, “Just a bump on ‘er ‘ead,” He smiled at Ori.

“How is she?” Dwalin asked.

“She will be okay, you took quite a landing their missy,” Ori nodded as he handed her something to drink. “This will help with the throbbing,” Rosie nodded and downed it in one.

“Come now, we must rest, the storm will pass by tomorrow, we must get a good night’s sleep,” Thorin announced.

The girls glanced at each other, a good night’s sleep was the least of their worries.


	17. Goblin Cave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> \- The goblin cave scene  
> -Fighting scene  
> -A long ass chapter because ily guys

The girls did not lie down to rest like the others, they simply sat on their bedrolls and waited. They knew what was coming and the fact that the rest of the company didn’t, made them sick. They had only really got Thorin to trust them recently and now they were going to abuse that, unfortunately, this was for the greater good and as always that meant some sacrifice had to be made.

The girls made sure to really hide all their weapons on their bodies so that even if the goblins were to search them for blades, they would still be able to keep a few. They were ready as they’d ever be. The company settled down and it wasn’t soon before everyone was asleep, expect them, granted they had offered to do first watch.

“Thorin’s going so pissed,” Frankie whispered before sighing.

“Well, he’s just going to have to suck it up isn’t he,” Rosie sighed rubbing at where there was now a lump on her head.

“At least Bilbo isn’t going to try and escape,” Cece smiled down at the sleeping hobbit. “Frankie, could you unsheathe Bilbo’s sword just a little,” Frankie, although confused, did so. “When goblins are near, the blade will turn blue,” Cece explained, staring at the pale shine of the blade. They sat in silence a little longer, waiting and listening.

* * *

“Cece! Hey, Cece!” Frankie hissed at her friend, jostling her awake, Frankie then nodded at Bilbo’s blade which now shone a bright blue.

“Shit,” Cece said and at that moment a line was carved out of the sand and not two seconds later the floor fell out from beneath them. Screaming the girls fell into the horrid caves of the Goblins, they landed on the bottom of some net being positively squashed by the dwarves above them. There came a large echo of groans from the dwarves and a ‘ _Get the fuck off me’_ from Frankie. It wasn’t long before a swarm of Goblins ran rampant all over them, peeling their weapons away and dragging them off the net. Before the Goblins got to her Cece turned around and found Bilbo.

“Stay here,” She whispered and turned to the company before looking back, “And good luck,” Probably not the best thing to say to him. A Goblin pulled off the one visible dagger and missed the rest she had hidden before pulling her away.

The stench of the Goblins was horrendous, and the dwarves fought all of them, refusing to follow whereas Rosie, Frankie and Cece simply allowed themselves to be pulled away by the Goblins. They travelled along their poorly built bridges without saying anything and trying not to look at Thorin.

The girls grimaced as some horribly taunting tune began to play from the Goblin audience. The ones who surrounded them refused to shut up and kept on trying to grope at different parts of the girls. They were brought before the repulsing king who was coughing and spluttering and somehow squelching?

“I feel a song coming on,” His throaty voice echoed out. He began to gurgle some noises as the company was forced into a group. The dwarves and the goblin king began their little stand-off, the three girls being pushed down so the goblin king couldn’t see them. The girls grimaced as the Goblins threw down the weapons they had found before their king.

“Who would be so bold to come armed into my kingdom?” He growled leaning in close. “Spies? Thieves? Assassins?” He cried causing the goblins to once again roar.

“Dwarves, my malevolence,” A random Goblin called.

“Well don’t just stand there, search them!” The Goblin king cried. Before the girls could react each of them was grabbed by the hair and thrust forward into the view of the king.

“My, my, my, what do we have here,” The king asked, bending down to the girls. “Now what, are you?” He asked. The Goblins began screeching and cheering some unfathomable words.

“None of your business,” Fili spat as he made his way to the girls but was stopped by a dagger pressed to his throat.

“Now, now. You do know that sharing is caring don’t you dwarf!” The king spat before turning back to the girls.

“Pretty little things aren’t you,” He said in an unreadable voice. “Might keep you and save you for later!” He then cried causing all the goblins to cheer with enthusiasm. “After-dinner treats are what we call you!” He continued.

“They are none of your concern!” Kili shouted, joining his brother with a dagger to the neck.

“Ah! But you see dwarf! Anything that falls onto my doorstep as pretty as that are all but none of my concern!” He spat back. “You and you!” He shouted pointing at two random Goblins, “Put them in chains and keep them by my throne, I want them to see what we do to their friends,” He smiled.

The goblins came over and made a grab for Frankie which earned him to be thrown off the side of the ledge they were standing on, the other went for Cece who pulled out a hidden dagger and pierced it in the face of the Goblin before removing it and kicking him too off the ledge. The king just clapped with glee when he saw this.

“Ah, the little birds can dance!” He cooed causing the girl's tempers to rise. “Now let’s get back to you dwarves,”

“It is my belief, my lord, that they are in league with elves!” One called as he held up an elven candle holder.

“Made in Rivendell,” The king read from the candle holder, “Second age, couldn’t give it away,” He called as he threw the candle holder off the side of the ledge. _God damn it Nori._

“What are you doing in these parts?” The king called sitting back down.

“Don’ worry lads,” Oin said moving to the front, “I’ll handle this,”

“No tricks! I want the truth!” The king called from his throne.

“You’re going to have to speak up! Your boys flattened my trumpet!” Oin called holding up his squashed hearing aid.

“I’ll flatten your trumpet!” the king yelled, standing. Meanwhile, the girls stood at the side, preparing their weapons. The girls grimaced in almost physical pain as they watched Bofur try and talk his way out of it with the king.

“SHUT UP!” The king eventually called, “If they will not talk, we’ll make them squawk!” The king called turning to his people.” Bring out the mangler! Bring out the bone-breaker! Start with the youngest!” He shouted pointing to Ori, that’s when Frankie got an idea.

“That’s not the youngest mate!” She called over the noise causing a hush to settle. “The youngest is Kili,” Frankie simply stated as Kili looked positively heart-broken as Frankie sold him out.

“Kili?” The king asked.

“No, no, no, you got it wrong there dearest buddy, the youngest is, in fact, Fili,” Rosie said nodding along.

“Neither of you are right the youngest is Ori,” Cece corrected.

“No, it’s Kili,” Rosie shot back, changing her stance in the argument quickly as to confuse the king.

“Why is it Kili?”

“Because remember, Fili is older than Kili because Fili is heir to the throne,”

“But how does that make Ori older than Kili,”

“Because Kili has that whole thing with Tauriel,”

“That doesn’t mean he’s older than Ori,”

“But he is,”

“Where are your bloody facts?”

“Why do you need facts if you know,”

“Wait if Fili is older than Kili then how old is Thor-“

“ENOUGH! SHUT UP! SHUT UP, SHUT UP!” The goblin king turned around and glared at the three girls who had progressively confused everyone in that cave. “For that, we’ll start with you!” He said pointing at the girls.

“Wait!” Growled Thorin causing the king to turn so fast he almost joined the candlestick by nearly falling over the edge.

“Well, well, well, look who it is. Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror, king under the mountain,” The Goblin King mocked as he bowed down, sniggers erupted from all around. “Oh, but I’m forgetting you don’t have a mountain, and you’re not a king, which makes you, nobody really” He started, Thorin’s face was murderous, “I know someone who’d pay a pretty price for your head,” The king continued. The girls shared a look. “Just a head, nothing attached, perhaps you know of whom I speak an old enemy of yours…a pale orc, astride a white warg,” Thorin’s face was choleric.

“Azog the defiler…” Thorin growled, “Was destroyed, he was slain in battle long ago,” Thorin’s voice was full of emotion.

“So, you think his defiling days are done, do you?” The king smiled menacingly, before wheezing with laughter and turning to a little goblin traversing on a small swing. “Sent word to the pale orc, tell him I have found his prize,” And with that, the small goblin turned around and disappeared into the darkness of the cave.

Soon the machines of the goblins were brought along as the goblin king swung around singing his song. The girls shivered as one was pulled up next to them chains dangling from it, rotting flesh from its previous victims still attached. A goblin found a sword and in interest unsheathed it revealing the famous elvish blade amongst Goblins.

“I know that sword!” The goblin king squealed, “It is the goblin-cleaver! The biter, the blade the sliced a thousand necks… _slash them, eat them, kill them_!” The Goblin king screamed. The three girls each received a whip to the back and because of their thin clothes it ripped through, piercing the skin. The dwarves began fighting back not refusing to back down. Cece at some point ran and helped Fili who was fighting off multiple goblins whilst Frankie was being grabbed my multiple goblins each trying to pull her in different directions.

Rosie tried to move but got another whip to her back sending her sprawling across the floor and almost falling off the side if it wasn’t for Dwalin grabbing her by her jumper and throwing her over his shoulder and next to Kili. She pulled out her sword and began fighting them off as best as she could, trying to aid Frankie who to be honest needed no help as she fired arrows each of them perfectly hitting their mark.

“Kill them all, cut off his head!” The goblin king shouted at Thorin where he was being straddled by multiple goblins, as the goblin on top of him raised a sharpened bone to stab Thorin Rosie tackled him off her friend and again began rolling dangerously close to the edge.

A blinding white light appeared, pulling Goblins away, that could mean one thing, Gandalf was in the house. The lights were extinguished and for a moment the only thing the girls could see was darkness and the feel of bodies all around them. Slowly light began to crawl through again and everyone began climbing back to their feet.

“Take off their arms, fight, fight!” Gandalf called, and they dove right back in. Cece armed herself with two daggers and was a whirlwind spinning around pulling out everything that Fili had ever taught her, Rosie was a killing machine with her sword dancing it back and forth and Frankie was a thunderstorm with her bow and arrow never missing a single shot.

They followed Gandalf through the pathways of the goblin cave, never giving their weapons a break, cutting down anyone who stood in their path. It was hectic, but the girls soon learned that all you needed to do was get into a rhythm.

And they did, the followed the group and fought their own battles, this being the first time they were properly fighting with weapons. It felt…good. The continued to weave their way through until the goblin king himself erupted from the wooden bridge they were crossing and growled.

“You thought you could escape me,” The king glowered.

“Oh, honey we still do,” Frankie said in an overly sweet voice, the king ignored her and attacked Gandalf.

“What are you going to do now wizard?” The king provoked Gandalf. Gandalf responded by poking the king in the eye with his staff, slicing his belly bringing him to his knees.

“That will do it,” The king sighed defeated, Gandalf then responded by cutting off the horrible chin of the goblin king, killing him once and for all. The weight of the goblin king falling caused the bridge they were standing on to fall down the cave. Screams erupted from everyone as they continued to fall, lower and lower a horrifically empty space being the only thing underneath them. They eventually came to a skidding halt on the floor of the cave, their screams dying down.

“Well that could have been worse,” Bofur sighed, Cece knowing what was coming next scrambled out from the mess they were in just before the Goblin King’s podgy form landed on top of them.

“You got to be joking!” Came the muffled cry of Dwalin. The dwarves began clambering out of the space except for Kili who was staring up wide-eyed.

“Goblins!” He cried and looking up you could see a swarm of Goblins crawling from above, like ants driven to their dead queen. The company quit moaning and groaning and began running to the light not too far away.

They ran as fast as they could until they managed to make it to the outside daylight, however, they did not stop running, they continued until they could run no more collapsing in a pile under some trees. Gandalf turned around and began counting make sure everyone was there.

“5, 6, 7, 8, Bifur Bofur, that’s 10, Fili Kili, that makes 12, Bombur, 13, Rosie, Frankie, Cece, 16…where’s Bilbo...where is our hobbit?” Gandalf asked as he looked around.

“He’s coming,” Cece gasped but she wasn’t sure anyone heard her.

“Where is our hobbit!” Gandalf called once more.

“I thought he was with Dori!” Someone called, Cece tried to speak but yet again someone spoke over her.

“Don’t blame me!” Dori called.

“Well, where did you last see him?” Gandalf questioned.

“I think I saw him slip away when they first caught us,” Nori spoke up.

“Well, what happened exactly?” Gandalf half cried.

“He-“ Cece started again but was cut off.

“I’ll tell you what happened. Our three, fortune tellers seem to have forgotten to tell us of this Goblin cave. For some twisted reason of their own they chose not to, resulting in all of us suffering and almost losing our lives,” Thorin growled.

“Hey!” Frankie called. “You needed to go in there, maybe not you, but for some of us, do you really think we wouldn’t tell you for no reason?” She snapped back.

“If we didn’t go through the Goblin cave then you would have never believed us when we said Azog lives,” Rosie continued.

“You lie,” Thorin hissed.

“But, see the funny thing is, we’re not. We have no reason to, it’s the trolls all over again. Thorin, I know you don’t want to, but you’re going to have to trust us,” Rosie sighed.

“Azog lives, and he’s coming, now. And you know what, so is Bilbo, you lose faith so easily, why?” Cece said. Thorin shook his head angrily.

“No, master Baggins saw his chance and he took it, he’s thought of nothing but his soft bed and his warm fire since he stepped out his door, we will not be seeing our hobbit again,” Thorin said with finality. “He is long gone.” And for a moment, no one said anything, and it really did seem like Bilbo wasn’t coming back.

“No,” Came Bilbo’s voice from behind Thorin, everyone turned to look, “He isn’t.” A small cheer erupted for Bilbo, Cece sent a look to Thorin.

“Bilbo Baggins, I have never been so glad to see anyone in my life,” Gandalf smiled.

“Bilbo, we’d given you up,” Kili smiled.

“How on earth did you get passed the Goblins?” Fili queried.

“How indeed?” Thorin asked, looking defeated and angry. Bilbo nodded at Thorin before putting something in his pocket, Cece saw a glint of gold and knew he had got it.

“Oh, what does it matter? He’s back, that’s what matters,” Gandalf sighed happily.

“What matters? I want to know, why did you come back?” Thorin said softer.

“Did Thorin just say something nice?” Frankie asked.

“Oh my god, I think we died in the Goblin cave,” Rosie sighed, Thorin threw them a glance before turning back to the hobbit.

“Look I know you doubt me, I know you always have, and your right, I often think of Bag-end. I miss my books, and my armchair, and my garden. See that’s where I belong, that’s home. That’s why I came back, because...because you don’t have one. A home. It was taken from you, but I will help you take it back…if I can.” Bilbo said, his voice riddled with emotion. Thorin inclined his head slightly, showing gratitude to the hobbit. A warm silence settled on the group as they all thought of their home.

“I apologise,” Thorin suddenly said turning to the girls. He said nothing more, but they got the message.

“It’s okay,” Rosie breathed, giving him a comforting smile, she then looked up and saw the warg head arise over a hill. “Well, it was,” She said her face turning to fear.

“Out of the frying pan,” Thorin whispered hearing the howls of the wargs.

“And into the fire,” Gandalf finished

“Run!”


	18. The Enemy Is Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> \- Goes to the end of the first movie

Sucking up the pain from their previous battle, the company turned around and began running fast and far. They scrambled over tree roots and ducked under tree branches until they neared the cliff edge. Behind them came the howls and growls of a warg pack, snapping their jaws at their ankles.

Suddenly a warg leapt over the top of them and skidded to a halt right before them, it was soon taken down by the dwarves. They leapt over the dead carcass and continued to run until there really was nowhere else to go.

“Into the trees, all of you!” Gandalf called, the girls were already a step ahead. They climbed the nearest tree which just so happened to be the very last one before the cliff edge.

“Thorin!” Rosie called, Thorin looked up at her in concern.

“What?”

“Don’t do anything stupid!” She called back before shuffling even further up the tree. They shared their tree with Gandalf, Ori and no others, pushing down any fear of heights they had. Cece watched as Fili flipped himself up the tree, as agile as a cat and felt the temperature rise a few degrees.

“Are you okay Ce?” He called in concern, she managed a nod and tried not to look down at where the wargs were snapping at her. “Ce, just look at me okay, look at me, everything’s going to be okay,” He promised, and from his tone of voice, she really thought it would be.

Cece broke eye contact with Fili for a moment and looked up to see Gandalf whispering in the ear of a butterfly. Okay, things were on course.

“Thorin!” She called.

“Yes!” He shouted back

“Don- “

“Do anything stupid, I got it!” He called back. The wargs suddenly stopped and turned to face a tall rock where a strong, resilient pale orc sat upon a white warg, scars dancing across his skin. Thorin turned around and stared at the pale orc. “Azog!” He hissed.

“Thorin!” Rosie called again, but Thorin seemed far away. Azog began talking in his own language which none of the girls for the life of them could understand, but they knew he probably wasn’t handing out compliments. Thorin seemed to understand what he was saying, and he certainly didn’t like it.

“It cannot be,” Thorin whispered. The orc then shouted something pointing to Thorin then throwing his axe-thing in the air, the wargs then turned back and charged at the trees, jaws snapping. The wargs jumped high up into the trees, luckily, they were far enough up that they couldn’t do much damage. However, they did have a problem when the wargs began uprooting the trees, especially since the girls and Gandalf’s tree was on the very end.

“Hold on girls!” Gandalf cried as the tree was shaken side to side. A tree far away collapsed and like dominos they fell into each other. Screaming the girls where flung almost off the trunk and into thin air as they ended up dangling over the edge of the cliff.

The others were safely stored in a tree a few feet to their left, thank god. Cece who was hanging near Ori was jarred by the tree falling and for a split second ended up falling over the edge.

“CECE!” Rosie shouted as Cece managed to grab hold of Ori’s bottom half and grip for dear life. Meanwhile, Gandalf was throwing burning balls of something at the wargs scaring them off. Rosie looked through the steam and smoke to see Thorin standing, a shield made of oak on his left arm.

“Frankie…Thorin!” Rosie called, Frankie was currently edging her way along the trunk to reach Cece who was shaking so badly, Rosie wondered how her arms were able to keep hold. Frankie nodded at Rosie and turned and scuttled back along the trunk chasing after the stubborn dwarf, the hobbit following behind.

“Cece, listen to me, listen to my voice, everything’s going to be okay,” Rosie cooed as she gripped hold of Ori’s arms and ensured that he had a secure grip with her help.

“Oh my god, oh my god,” Cece muttered over and over again her anxiety rising.

“Cece, listen it’s going to be okay, we know how this ends, everyone will be fine,” Rosie continued, however, now she was worried by the look on Ori’s face. “Ori, what’s wrong?” She asked.

“I can’t, hold on, much longer,” He managed to get out between breaths.

“Ori look at me, you’re going to have to, I’m helping you as much as I can but I can’t reach Cece without falling myself, you’re just going to have to hold on honey,” The words Rosie were saying were calm, but the way she said it was not. Meanwhile, Frankie, Thorin and Bilbo were fighting off everything and anything that stood there.

“Rosie, I’m…” Cece started but trailed off.

“You're what?” Rosie said, panic surging from within her. Cece looked up at Rosie in the face, her eyes wide with fear.

“ _Slipping…_ ” She gasped before she lost her grip and began to fall.

“CECE!” Rosie called causing Fili to look their way and see Cece fall.

“NO!” He cried. Rosie screamed for her friend and watched in horror as her body continued to fall. It was dark but the speck that was becoming of Cece’s body was brighter than anything Rosie had ever seen. Time seemed to slow down, and Rosie felt everything within her body moving at once. Her mouth fumbling for words, but to say what, and who too. But then suddenly there was a flash of white and Cece’s body wasn’t falling anymore, no, it was flying. Cece landed atop a white eagle which was climbing higher and higher, flying Cece away to safety. Rosie shuddered with relief.

“Oh, my god, Ori!” She cried as she began pulling Ori up, his face pooling with sweat. “Everything’s going to be okay Ori, look at me,” Rosie then noticed that the water on Ori’s face wasn’t entirely sweat. Ori looked up at Rosie’s big caring eyes and found a warmth he would find in no other.

 "Cece..." The dwarf chocked out.

"Cece is fine, trust me," Rosie said warmly. "Ori we're going to have to jump,"

 “ _What?_ ” He gasped, fear rushing back to him.

“No, Ori, it’s okay. Trust me,” She said, and then Ori thought of how truthful Rosie had been so far, how the last time she asked him to trust her he had ended up with a pile of coin pouches in his lap, although no riches could amount to the friendship that was growing between them. How she had warned every one of the trolls and the mountain giants, how he knew that she must have her own reasons for letting them into the Goblin cave. He looked at her again, then nodded. Then the two fumbled with shaking fingers, linking arms and hands, taking one last look at the mess behind them. Then they let go.

Kili turned and saw Rosie and Ori and nudged his brother.

“We’ve lost Rosie and Ori,” He gasped.

“No,” His brother breathed before turning to the barren tree trunk where five certain people used to be. “No.” He said once more, feeling like he would cry. The fire was blazing around them and there was no hope of ever getting out and surviving. Is that what they were coming to? Is this the end of their quest? _No_ Fili answered his question. “Come on brother, let us fight!” And with a battle cry, they joined the fight alongside Frankie, Bilbo and Thorin. The battle was short lived when they realized how largely outnumbered they were.

“Eagles!” Frankie suddenly cried at some point causing Fili to look up high and see something swoop low, picking up a few dwarfs.

“She’s right!” Kili called.

“Follow me!” Frankie replied and with that, she turned and ran towards t the edge of the cliff and jumped over the edge, she was falling for a few seconds when an eagle swooped down and picked her up, flying her away. Fili turned and looked back to see Thorin's now unconscious body being picked up by an eagle.

“Let’s go, brother,” Fili said and with that they followed shortly, leaving the mess and mayhem behind.

The ride upon the eagles was peaceful in its own way, not in the sense that Rosie, Cece and Ori were so much farther ahead than everyone else and since they were last seen falling off the cliff the company believed them to be dead, even Frankie.

Frankie spent the whole journey with her head in her hands, believing she was now truly all alone, that she had left her friends when they needed her most and that had resulted in the death of them. That she was responsible, but not only that. Her two best friends in the whole world, no matter what universe they were in, were dead, for good, that she would never see them again. That she would never make it to the end of the quest, that she too wished she would simply fall off this eagle.

Fili and Kili looked at Frankie as she openly mourned her friends, past the point of tears and only being physically able to cough angry tearless sighs. That was until they were set to land on the cliff ledge and they could spot three dark figures waving up at them. The first eagle laid down Thorin’s unconscious body causing the three figures to rush over to it.

“Thorin! Thorin look at me!” Rosie gasped as she moved Thorin’s head side to side. She peeled away his sweaty and bloody clothes and pressed her ear to the warm chest of the dwarf. For a moment, she could hear nothing then the deep thrum-thrum of his heart could be heard. She sighed with relief and watched the others land.

Frankie landed and stared at her two friends, before she broke down sobbing before them, collapsing into their arms.

“ _I saw you die_ ,” She sobbed into Cece’s chest whilst Rosie stroked her hair.

“It’s okay Frankie, we’re right here, we’re going nowhere,” Cece cooed, her inner mother coming back out.

“It’s not okay,” Frankie sighed, her voice breaking and stuck in her throat. The company watched as the three friends shared this moment, in the meantime, Thorin had awoken and was watching as Frankie sobbed.

“Thorin!” Gandalf called when he saw that Thorin was awake.

“Gandalf,” Thorin nodded back weakly.

“Thought we lost you there,” Gandalf sighed helping Thorin up.

“It was a close call,” Thorin sighed.

“Well, you have no one to blame but yourself!” Rosie suddenly spat standing up and facing Thorin who was a few inches taller. “When we say don’t do anything stupid we bloody mean it. We don’t just say these fucking things for fun you shit-for-brains,” Rosie again spat, Thorin didn’t really know what she was saying, but he understood the message. “Don’t you dare say we didn’t warn you because we fucking did. Cece and Ori almost died, they were hanging off that tree by a god damn thread,” Rosie then came up real close, “You’re going to really have to sort yourself out because its shit like this that’s going to make you sick.”

Rosie’s words were harsh but Thorin knew that he deserved every bit of it. The company were in shock, no one had ever spoken to Thorin like that and lived.

“I am sorry Rosanna,” Thorin spoke softly.

“You know you keep saying that,” She retorted turning away.

“No, I know. And I’m sorry for saying I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I have to say I’m sorry,” Rosie raised an eyebrow but was listening.

“When you first came to us and told us that you knew what was going to happen, that you knew the ending, like it was a story, of course, I didn’t believe you. I was threatened by your presence and your knowledge, by your honesty and trueness. But as time wore on I found myself not wanting to be rid of you because I did not trust you, but because I did not want to see you hurt. At Rivendell, I was given an option to let you stay or to let you go. I was going to say you couldn’t come because you couldn’t fight, and I was worried. But now I see it was foolish of me to assume what’s best for you. But what I know, is that you want to help. And I have never met anyone with as much drive as the three women I see before me. And for that I will not say sorry…but thank you,” He said softly. Rosie was touched by his words, it appeared that Thorin was showing her just a small glimpse of his true self, of the loving uncle, the older brother, the son of the sick.

“Apology accepted,” She whispered back, before grabbing Thorin around the neck and pulling him into a hug. He was shocked at first but then allowed his strong, burly arms to wrap around Rosie’s small body and in that moment, it felt like Rosie and Thorin connected on a deeper level than ever before. The group cheered with glee as the two united and dropped the argument.

“And you, master Baggins!” Thorin smiled, turning to the hobbit. “Thank you, Mr. bugler,” He smiled, another cheer from the group. Then Thorin’s eyes set on something over Bilbo’s shoulder and he walked towards it.

Near the cliff edge, you could see the lonely peak of the lonely mountain, piercing the horizon. It was mouth-wateringly beautiful especially with the distant screeches of the eagles flying away in the distance.

“Erebor, the lonely mountain,” Gandalf smiled.

“That’s it boys,” Frankie smiled, feeling better after her minor mental break down.

“The last of the seven great dwarf kingdoms of middle earth,” Gandalf continued.

“Home,” Thorin said softly, some memory lighting up within him. Then came the tweeting of a lone bird.

“A raven! The birds are returning to the mountain,” Dori sighed happily.

“No,” Cece breathed as the bird fluttered past her. “That’s a thrush,” She smiled as it continued on its path to the mountain.

“We’ll take it as a sign, a good omen,” Thorin smiled before looking at Rosie as she stared at the lonely mountain, the wind blowing the hair out of her face revealing the bruises and cuts she had acquainted.

“Your right,” Bilbo smiled.

“Don’t say it,” Frankie suddenly piped up as Bilbo opened his mouth.

“Say what?” Bilbo said, Frankie just gave him a look, “Okay,” He nodded and then turned back to the mountain.

They had never been more ready.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -End of Movie 1


	19. Beorn's Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -Pretty uneventful

The company travelled for two weeks before anything cropped up, all the while training sessions refused to settle down. At the end of each long day of travelling the girls would spend 30 minutes to an hour working with their assigned partners. They were generally forced to fight with their weapons, only sparring to make sure they still maintained what they knew from Rivendell. On some nights Dwalin would only give Rosie the resources she had around her in the abandoned forest, Rosie tended to opt for a decent sized fallen branch.

The bumps and bruises from their run-in with Azog soon faded without scars and any other injuries soon healed. On the seventh night of the week, after the girls had their training sessions and were now settling down to rest their aching feet a strangled howl echoed from a distance behind them.

No one needed to say anything, even the girls could now detect that howl from miles away. Wargs. The company leapt into action, pulling their bags back on and acquainting themselves with weapons, the girls watching for a moment before following. When they were all ready and the fire was stomped out they gathered in a circle.

“Bilbo, turn back and scout out how far away the wargs are,” Thorin instructed, “We shall be right here if you should need us.” The hobbit nodded, surprisingly no fear could be found in his eyes, these paths had changed the hobbit. With a short nod, Bilbo turned around and scurried away when Cece updated the group on what was to happen next.

“It is, in fact, a Warg pack, some orcs too methinks, but there is something else, someone else to precise,” Cece said, dramatically.

“Oh, you just love this don’t you,” Frankie smirked at her friend as Cece blushed.

“What?” Gandalf asked, intrigued.

“Ever heard of a certain shapeshifter who lives in these parts?” Cece turned to Gandalf, knowing damn well he did. Gandalf thought for a moment and then nodded. “When Bilbo comes back, we run,” Cece instructed still talking to Gandalf.

“I’m sorry I do believe we may have missed something,” Kili said as his face contorted into a bemused expression. Just then a howl thundered from the sky, something that certainly wasn’t a warg. Following the howl, Bilbo crashed through the bushes his eyes wide and his breath heavy.

“The- “Bilbo started.

“We know, RUN!” Cece shouted before turning around and running away, the company following behind. Gandalf soon took the lead, leading the company this way and that. They ran for what seemed like hours and it probably was since the sun began to rise over the mountain peaks. Soon they were running across a barren field with a minute lake sitting sleepily in the middle, they ran and ran and ran, Gandalf shouting at them from the front.

“COME ON!” His voice echoed and the girls picked up the pace, their burning lungs and alight muscles screaming in protest. But no so far in the distance, a small hut could be seen, hope. Another roar of this unknown beast tore through their surroundings, so loud the girls had to cover their ears.

“This way!” Gandalf shouted, and they followed. Poor Bombur, frozen where he was, fear radiating off him.

“Bombur come on!” Thorin cried as he grabbed the beard of the ginger dwarf. Out of nowhere the dwarf turned and ran faster than any of the other dwarves, he simply skipped past them, his legs and arms moving in a blur. If they weren’t running from death the girls would have laughed.

They approached the gate and ran into a small front garden before slamming up into the door, all the dwarves slamming into each other. The girls who were mid-pack scrambled to the front and lifted the leaver allowing the dwarves to tumble inside.

“Bloody dwarves!” Rosie huffed as she held back the door for Thorin and Gandalf. Just then a mound of a monster appeared, tearing through the front gate, razor teeth slashing, bladed claws stabbing. “Uh oh,” Rosie whispered, frozen with fear.

“Rosie!” Kili cried pulling her back into the house and slamming the door shut and with the help of the others locking it as a thick mass of something slammed against the door. Frankie then turned to Rosie.

“Do you have a fucking death wish?” Frankie gasped, lying down next to where Rosie had been thrown, desperate for breath.

“Holy shit,” Was all Rosie could respond with as there was a continuous slam against the door before the beast gave up and turned away.

“What is that?” Ori sighed staring at Gandalf and the mound of out-of-breath-girls.

“That is our host,” Gandalf said knowledgeably before diving into the explanation of Beorn.

“You knew about this?” Fili sighed at Cece.

“We didn’t know exactly when this would take place, we didn't want to freak y’all out. Besides, no one’s hurt,” Cece smiled before turning and seeing the mound of heaving dwarf that was Bombur. “Well…” She trailed off.

“Never mind, all of you get some rest. We shall see of Beorn tomorrow,” Gandalf sighed. The girls happily curled up in a corner and fell into a deep, needed, sleep.

* * *

Frankie awoke to some noises from the barn animals, sighing she looked over and saw Rosie her head lolling off the barn of hay she was currently sitting on. She turned and then saw something very interesting indeed. Cece had curled up into the arms of…Fili? She stared at the two intertwined beings and had the sudden urge to squeal with delight. With glee, she kicked Rosie in the ribs earning her to snort and wake up.

“Wha- “Rosie started but was cut off by Frankie’s hand over her mouth. She looked up at her crazy friend who simply nodded at a pile of arms and legs on the floor. Rosie rubbed her eyes and then began to notice a mangle of blonde hair and some beard braids…

Realization swept over Rosie and she slapped Frankie in the arm who groaned in response. Rosie then scrambled over, grabbing her phone and threw it at Frankie who switched on the flash and took a photo of the adorable scene. Cute. Now to ruin it.

Rosie idled up and slowly began tugging Cece away and Frankie, Fili, the others would wake soon and that was a position that they didn’t want their friend to be in. Cece pulled away easily, her little body settling on a warm patch of hay where the sun was streaming in. Fili, not so much. Frankie grunted as she tried to pull the mass of muscle, bone and hair but failed miserably and fell causing Fili to wake up with Frankie an inch from his face.

“ARGH!” He yelled frightening Frankie.

“AGHH!” She responded.

“AHH!” Rosie yelled, jumping by the noise of the screaming.

“AHHHH!” Cece yelled as she bolted awake.

“STOP!” Frankie yelled throwing her hands up. “We’re in a scream circle!”

“Why were you…” Fili trailed off.

“Never mind that now,” Frankie sighed as she realized the rest of the group was up and awake. 

* * *

They all got dressed and soon heard the noises of Beorn chopping wood in the garden, the dwarves arguing about what to do. Then Gandalf gave his little speech and soon we were all walking out in pairs, except Bombur of course. Bilbo and Gandalf leaving first.

The girls watched, laughter in their eyes as the dwarves pilled out before Beorn who was getting angrier by the minute. They very much enjoyed watching Bofur’s mixed signals.

“Is that it? Are there anymore?” Beorn asked. The final dwarf, Thorin, then stepped out, being dramatic as always. The three girls then took their cue, excusing their way through the dwarves and standing before Beorn, a little way off the group. Beorn didn’t know who to look at, Thorin, or the girls.

Not a few moments later the girls found themselves sitting at Beorn’s overly large table, drinking his milk and snacking on his food.

“So, you are the one they call Oakenshield,” Beorn said to Thorin as he filled up Fili’s mug. “Tell me, why is Azog the defiler hunting you?” Beorn said dramatically, his voice rumbling from within his chest.

“You know of Azog? How?” Thorin asked, almost shocked. Beorn submerged into the story of how his people were the first in the mountains and the pain his people suffered and how he now stands as the only remaining one of his race.

“You need to reach the mountain before the last days of autumn,” Beorn pondered as he too sat down.

“Yes, before Durin’s day,” Cece spoke up softly, “And we can. But we need your help,” She continued.

“You are running out of time,” He responded, not answering Cece’s plea of help. “What is your plan?”

“We shall go through Mirkwood,” Frankie spoke up, Cece had recently informed Rosie and Frankie on everything which happens in the story, the girls picked it up soon enough. “It will be quicker and there is a certain errand that we must run,” Frankie continued.

“A sickness lies in that forest,” Beorn simply stated.

“That will not stop us,” Rosie reassured.

“I would not venture there, except in great need,” Beorn continued.

“Well, that’s what was in,” Frankie uttered, getting slightly frustrated with the skin changer.

“We shall take the elven road,” Gandalf articulated. “Their path is still safe.”

“Safe? The wood elves of Mirkwood are not like their kin –“Beorn started.

“They’re sassy, we know,” Frankie sighed, her temper rising.

“They’re less wise and more dangerous, but it matters not,” Beorn said, ignoring Frankie.

“What do you mean?” Thorin pondered turning around.

“What Beorn is saying is that these lands are covered with orcs, we won’t make it to Mirkwood on foot which is why we need your help Beorn, mainly in the form of seventeen ponies and a horse,” Frankie mumbled, sick of the dramatics. Beorn didn’t respond for a few seconds, baffled by Frankie’s harsh tone. “Fine, don’t respond. See if I care,” Frankie then huffed before standing abruptly and exiting through the front door, leaving an awkward silence.

“I’ll go talk to her,” Rosie grimaced as she too stood, leaving Cece behind to negotiate with Beorn. Rosie stepped out onto the front porch and felt the sun spill onto her bare arms, soaking up the sun for a few seconds she began to look for Frankie.

It didn’t take long due to the splashing noises. Frankie was currently taking her anger out by throwing rocks of all shapes and sizes into the nearby stream. Rosie held back for a while, knowing her friend well enough to not get in her way. When Frankie appeared to be done she sat down by the stream, ripping her shoes and socks off and dipping her ankles into the cold water.

“You okay?” Rosie asked kindly as she too peeled away her footwear and dipped her feet into the water, Frankie had her eyes closed and some beads of sweat on her forehead.

“Yeah,” Frankie sighed, relaxing her muscles as she did so, “I just. I’m getting kind of sick of the dwarves and the dramatics and the way they talk and just…” Frankie trailed off, Rosie understood. They sat in silence for a while, listening to the hums of the animals and the gushing of the stream.

“What I wouldn’t give for just an hour of internet,” Rosie hummed as she relaxed back and stretched her legs out.

“Or a Domino's pizza,” Frankie murmured, causing a groan of annoyance and want from Rosie.

“Crisps,” Rosie added.

“Chips,” Frankie corrected whilst Rosie rolled her eyes but smiled.

“Youtube,” Rosie continued.

“Festivals,”

“Concerts,”

“Our friends,” This final one caused a sad silence to blanket the girls, they hadn’t really talked of home so much this far.

“Saying goodbye to my family,” Rosie continued.

“Saying goodbye to John,” Frankie added, John was her dog his full name, Elton John.

“Finishing school,” Rosie whispered, they had now moved onto the future.

“Meeting my future husband,”

“Buying a house near the sea,”

“Having three kids,”

“Watching Sherlock season 4,”

“Wondering if there would be a season 5.” They continued like this until they had no more to say, talking about their crazy fantasies. Again a sullen silence rested as the girls realized that they wouldn’t be able to do any of that.

“You know what,” Frankie whispered sitting up. “Fuck that.”

“Yeah,” Rosie said too sitting up, “Wait, why?” She turned to her friend.

“That was the only world we had, that’s what we got and we made dreams out of it. So, if now we have this world, we can make dreams out of it too!” Frankie said confidently.

“Yeah,” Rosie said, inspired by her friend’s words. “You know what…I want to go to an elven party,” Rosie said.

“I want to learn how to read, write and speak their languages,” Frankie smiled.

“I want to learn their music!”

“I want to try all of their foods,”

“Travel to the four corners of the map,”

“Meet Legolas and make him fall in love with me!” Frankie cried causing a trickle of laughter to escape Rosie. They continued to sit there, feet in the water, their skin warmed by the sun in peace. They talked a little more but only of this and that.

“Come on, are you ready to face his lord prickship,” Rosie smiled helping her friend up.

“As I’ll ever be,” Frankie groaned but smiled as she made her way back into the house.


	20. Stream Talks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -Fili/Cece cute moment  
> -The girls discover something  
> -We still at Beorn's though

They spent their second night at Beorn’s house, planning to leave in two days for Mirkwood, that would give them time to plan and prepare for everything which followed.

The girls woke the following morn and spent most of it sparring with their partners before they finished and chose to cool off near the stream which Rosie and Frankie had found the previous day.

“Kili is going fucking James Bond on my ass,” Frankie huffed as she joined Cece and Rosie chucking her bow on the grass next to her.

“But you like it don’t you,” Cece smirked with a wink.

“Oh, trust me honey, out of the three of us I am not the one who’s getting on a first name basis with a dwarf prince, if you know what I mean,” Frankie smirked at her friend, stretching out like a cat on the warm grass. Cece snapped her head to Rosie thinking that’s who Frankie was talking about.

“Don't look at me!” Rosie cried as she slapped Cece lightly up the head, Cece sported a confused expression.

“Well then who…?” Cece trailed off before glancing at the looks her two friends were sending her. “Me? What have I done?” Cece cried, defending herself, the others simply smirked.

“Nothing…” Frankie trailed of smirking,” Cuddles.” Rosie snorted with glee when she heard this.

“What?” Cece asked, desperate for answers.

“Nothing! Snuggles,” Rosie added, grinning.

“WHAT!” Cece suddenly cried standing up and turning to her friends who simply laughed at her frustration.

“Come here dearest friend,” Frankie smirked as she pulled out her phone to show her a photo. Cece leaned down and squinted her eyes coming face to face with what looked like a pile of clothes lying on a dark floor.

“What am I supposed to be looking at?” Cece questioned, trying to pick out some features.

“Anything, or anyone, look familiar to you?” Rosie smiled smugly. Cece leaned in more until her nose was inches away from the screen.

“Is…Is that me?” She asked seeing a familiar spout of blonde hair.

“Why yes Cece, yes it is,” Frankie drawled out. “And…” She trailed off. Cece looked back into the photo looking for something else but now all she could see was blonde hair and clothes…wait.

“FILI!” Cece cried, gleefully getting the answer, then realization dawned on her. “OH MY GOD!” She cried her two best friends erupting into laughter whilst she stood staring at the photo shocked. “When was this?” Cece asked taking the phone out of Cece’s hands and sitting down next to her so-called friends, her eyes never leaving the photo.

“Last night,” Frankie wiggled her eyebrows.

“It’s adorable,” Rosie added giving Cece a confident smile.

“No,” Cece simply responded with, the laughter soon died from the girls.

“No?” Rosie questioned, confused.

“No. This can’t…” Cece trailed off, stricken.

“Why? Do you not like him?” Frankie asked her friend.

“It’s not that,” Cece sighed.

“Then what is it?” Frankie pushed further.

“You and I both know how this story ends,” Cece suddenly snapped.

“That doesn’t matter,” Rosie said, a serious manner taking over her.

“Why? That’s what’s supposed to happen, do you really think we can stop death?” Cece asked incredulously.

“I think we can damn well try,” Frankie said confidently.

“I will not allow this,” Cece continued.

“Why? Because something bad might happen? Are you scared that one of you may get hurt? Well, you’re already dead sweetie,” Rosie reasoned.

“Don’t say that,”

“Why not? Because it’s true...because we’re never going to go home, because we’re never going to have that life again. This what we have now, this is our world,” Frankie exclaimed.

“And the world is our oyster,” Rosie added.

“You shouldn’t be afraid to fall in love Cece, love is the best thing, and if you have a chance at it, then why the hell not,” Frankie reassured her friend. They were quiet for a while, lost in their own thoughts.

“Fili is the heir of Durin,” Cece suddenly spoke up.

“I mean…to be honest that’s even more of a reason to go for it,” Rosie smiled.

“Nothing has...happened,” Cece reasoned, wincing.

“Then make it,” Frankie smiled warmly. Cece smiled for the first time and lightly shook her head before looking back down at the phone, she stayed like that for a while, simply staring at the photo, then she frowned.

“Hey, Frankie,” she said.

“What?” Frankie asked raising an eyebrow from where she was trying to nap on the soft grass.

“Why is your phone still on 97%?” She asked. And no wonder. Frankie and Rosie had used their phones nonstop, playing music and games, taking photos and videos. To be honest their phones should have died weeks ago.

“No way…” Frankie trailed off, snatching the phone out of Cece’s hands.

“Wait, I’ll get mine,” Rosie said, jumping up and heading indoors to retrieve her phone. Rosie came back and showed her already on phone to her friends. “Look, 100%, it hasn’t even gone down one,” Rosie declared.

“Why aren’t our phone batteries going down?” The girls thought for a moment each trying to come up with an answer or even a theory as to why then Cece turned to Frankie.

“Your hair hasn’t grown,” Cece gasped pointing at Frankie’s hair, her eyes wide. See the thing about Frankie’s hair is that it grows awfully quickly, and to keep it the length that Frankie likes it you have to get it cut every few months, well it had been a few months since they came here, and Frankie’s hair hadn’t grown an inch.

“I still have my paper cut,” Rosie said looking down at her fourth finger on her right hand where (in their old world) she had cut it on a study book.

“It’s like we’ve been preserved in time…” Cece pondered and the girls spoke no more words, haunted by what they had just discovered.

* * *

It was the evening of that day, the girls had kept to themselves again, talking about Thranduil and what was best to do but that only lasted for an hour. Cece had made her way back to the stream, finding the gush of water soothing to her throbbing head. She sighed happily as a warm breeze blew her hair out of her face, content.

“Hello,” She heard a voice from behind her, she snapped open her eyes and saw Fili’s figure emerge from the darkness and sit next to her.

“Hi,” She smiled back, the image of the two curled together popping up in her mind as she tried very hard to push it back down.

“We haven’t seen much of you today and were wondering if you were okay?” Fili questioned as he half twisted his body to face her, Cece pulled her lips upwards and tried her best to fake smile. She wasn’t sure Fili believed her but he must have understood that she didn’t want to be questioned about it. They sat in silence for a while, neither of them finding the right thing to say.

“Tell me about your world,” Fili suddenly popped up, “I mean if that’s okay of course,” He spurted, realizing how it could be a touchy subject, Cece found this adorably cute.

“It’s fine,” She smiled warmly, a true smile, “But I already told you most of I think,” She trailed off.

“No, tell me about your life,” He said again, his eyes alive with interest, Cece paused for a moment and felt herself smile again. It was a small thing he asked of Cece, but it seemed to be a warm blanket on her heart.

“Well I just finished school and I was looking to go to a good university, I was actually wanting to go over to the UK and try and get into one of the main schools there,” Cece said before realizing Fili probably didn’t know what that meant, “I’m from America so…you know what? One day I’m going to draw you a map of our world and this will probably make a lot more sense,” She smiled.

“I was still living with my parents and I had a younger sister, she’s called Juliet and she’s 13. I wanted to become a teacher, I wanted to teach people…anything, really. English, maths, science, history, the list goes on...I wanted that so badly, that’s all I wanted since I can remember, and now that opportunity is just gone? I mean, I probably shouldn’t be that sad about it, but it’s just…I had it all planned out, you know? Everything. And now…”

“And now you’ve been thrown into a completely new world,” Fili finished off.

“Exactly,” Cece apologetically smiled, Fili was quiet for a while.

“Want to know something?” He said at last.

“Yes please,” Cece turned fully to him, interested in what he would say.

“My whole life, I’ve been told I was going to be king. Nothing else. I grew up with my mother telling me how proud I was going to make my family and with people who I didn’t even know, come up to me on the street and wish me good luck with my future endeavours. That's been my whole life. When I was young, and I mean young…I wanted to be everything but a king, a blacksmith, a warrior, even a shoemaker, but a king? Never even crossed my mind.

“And soon Kili came along, I stopped dreaming of what I wanted to be when I was older and started to be a big brother right then. Kili was and is my baby brother and if anything were to happen to him I burn the four corners of this map. Because his death would not only destroy me, it would destroy my mother, and you must understand that strong willed she may be, the man who she loved with all her heart…my father, died long ago... and she hasn't been the same since.

“Being king has just simply been something I’ve grown up with, like being a teacher with you. Except, you chose your future, you dreamed it, I was given it whether I like it or not…”

“And do you? Like it?” Cece asked after a moment.

“It would be an honour to be king of Durin’s folk. But you can’t help but wonder, what if this blood didn’t run through my veins?” Fili said as he appeared lost in his own thoughts. Cece was touched by his words and felt honoured herself that Fili had chosen to open up to her on this very personal matter.

“You would still be the strong hearted dwarf you are today,” Cece said warmly, smiling at Fili who returned a smile.

“I’m not just heir to the throne. I’m an older brother, a son, a nephew. And blood is thicker than water,” Fili smiled again. Cece looked at Fili, really looked at him. And no longer saw the dwarf prince who was used in the movies for his death, no longer saw the less important of the two, no longer saw the heir to the throne or even the older brother of Kili.

No, she saw a someone who had just opened up to a girl he had met merely months ago, a girl who was not born or bred on these lands but was thrown here in the middle of a mess and yet was still standing strong. She saw someone who was ready, so ready, to make his family and his people proud, but also a man who feared that he would not be worthy enough for he wanted to be the best king they could ever have. Someone who was kind to her from the start, who protected her not because she was a girl, but because she was his friend, his fighting partner, his student and his teacher. Someone who last night had wrapped their arms around her and held her close.

And something in her heart sparked into life.


	21. Master of the House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -Just adding in some Les Miserables for anyone who's a fan  
> -Don't worry they'll be more action in the next few chapters.  
> -This is just a bit of fun to be honest.

The company were gathering around the fire for their last night in Beorn’s house, they were packed and prepared to leave so they could enjoy their last night. Bofur had just finished telling a particularly funny story when Kili had fallen off the back of his stool with laughter.

“That, was, brilliant!” Frankie gasped through laughter, watching as Kili’s legs flailed in the air. The group quietened down and gave dozy smiles of tiredness, the stars above them shining brightly.

“I want to hear more of your music,” Ori spoke up smiling at Rosie with a slight blush on his cheeks.

“Sure,” Rosie said reaching over for her phone.

“No,” Ori suddenly said, “Sing something,” He smiled, this time Rosie blushed.

“I um, I don’t sing,” She said shyly.

“Say’s the girl who got the main role in school’s _Les Miserables_ ,” Frankie rolled her eyes.

“Okay, it’s a small school and they were desperate,” Rosie sighed back.

“You can still remember the song though,” Cece spoke up.

“I would rather sing a song with you guys though,” Rosie answered shyly.

“Master of the house?” Frankie raised an eyebrow.

“Of course,” Rosie winked.

“ _Master of the house, doling out the charm, Ready with a handshake and an open palm, Tells a saucy tale, makes a little stir, Customers appreciate a bon-viveur_ ,” Frankie sprung into a song, the company (even Thorin) mighty interested in the song.

“ _Glad to do a friend a favour, Doesn't cost me to be nice, But nothing gets you nothing, Everything has got a little price_!” Cece took over, standing up and gesturing to the company as if she was on stage.

“ _Master of the house, keeper of the zoo, Ready to relieve 'em of a sou or two, Watering the wine, making up the weight, Pickin' up their knick-knacks when they can't see straight_ ,” Rosie joined in and she, without him noticing, pulled a handkerchief out of Bilbo’s pocket and then dangling it in front of his face.

“ _Everybody loves a landlord, Everybody's bosom friend, I do whatever pleases, Jesus! Won't I bleed 'em in the end_!” Frankie winked as she dissolved into large laughter as some of the dwarves tried to join in, all though it was obvious they had no clue. They continued to dance like drunks, the firelight painting their moving shadows on the sky above them. A moment of pure joy

Then Frankie, in one movement, picked up a small button off the floor and chucked it at Kili.

“ _Oh, sorry love, must get something done ‘bout that_ ,” She said looking up into the empty sky. She then sat down next to him a looked dreamily, obviously all an act, the girls simply continued to pretend that they were currently in an inn.

“ _I used to dream that I would meet a prince, But God Almighty, have you seen what's happened since_?” Frankie sang before turning and looking at Bombur who widened his eyes whilst Kili looked scared as hell.

“ _Master of the house? Isn't worth my spit! Comforter, philosopher' and lifelong shit_!” Frankie continued to sing before sliding into the lap of Kili whilst the whole of the company sat, very unsure of how to react. Rosie watched with enjoyment and Thorin was torn between being angry and amused.

“ _Cunning little brain, regular Voltaire, Thinks he's quite a lover but there's not much there_ ,” She winked leaning in, Kili was as red as a cherry.

“ _What a cruel trick of nature landed me with such a louse, God knows how I've lasted living with this bastard in the house_!” She rushed before pulling something out of Kili’s pocket without him noticing, chucking it the Rosie before planting a small kiss on his cheek.

“ _Master of the house_!” Cece called standing on a chair.

“ _Master and a half_!” Rosie called back.

“ _Comforter, philosopher_ ,” Cece replied, jumping back down.

“ _Don't make me laugh_!” Rosie rolled her eyes.

“ _Servant to the poor, butler to the great_!” Frankie and Cece called walking forward to Rosie before retreating.

“ _Hypocrite and toady and inebriate_!” Rosie replied, walking half-way across the small gathering before retreating.

“ _Everybody bless the landlord_!” They responded.

“ _Everybody bless his spouse_!” Rosie cried back.

“ _Everybody raise a glass_!” Frankie cried throwing a glass in the air.

“ _Raise it up the master's arse_!” Rosie called standing on a chair.

“ _Everybody raise a glass to the Master of the House_!” The three girls called together before dissolving into laughter, how had they remembered that song after all these years? The company appeared lost for words at what they had just witnessed. The company were silent for a while, taking in what they just witnessed.

"Next time, just don’t ask," Dori said nudging Ori who simply nodded back, a content smile on his face.

* * *

It was morning and the company were set and prepared to leave Beorn's house, abroad ponies with their bags full of supplies to get them through the next few days. Gandalf bid his farewells to Beorn and so did the girls, thanking him for his kind hospitality. They then set off, understanding that the lands they would cross were riddled with orcs, they moved quickly, not necessarily quietly, but fast enough to get to the opening of Mirkwood in a half-hour.

You could feel the sickness even before you entered. The forest radiated something which would course through your body making every cell feel sick. It was like a fire of disease, pulsing through you, the heat attacking your skin. The girls pulled their bags off their ponies before handing the reigns to Dori who handed them over to someone else. Wearily they walked into the opening where they came face to face with an eroded statue of an elf.

"Is this his wife?" Frankie asked, running her fingers over the intricate pattern, she didn't even need to say his name for the girls to know who she was talking about.

“I believe so,” Cece whispered next to her. Gandalf walked further, no doubt about to reveal the mark on the stone statue. The girls shivered and walked away, waiting for Gandalf’s reveal. Gandalf pulled away some ivory to reveal what he feared. He muttered something to himself before turning and walking away.

“Not my horse! I need it!” Gandalf cried as Nori was about to untie the horse’s reigns.

“You’re not leaving us,” Bilbo sighed.

“I believe our wizard has somewhere more important to be,” Cece said as she walked closer to Gandalf giving him a knowing look. The girls watched intently as Bilbo was about to reveal his secret in the form of a small golden ring.

“Do not enter that mountain without me, do not touch the water, the air in this forest is heavy with illusion, it will seek to enter your mind, you must not let it,” Gandalf said before climbing his horse.

“Don’t worry Gandalf, we will take good care,” Frankie said will an all-knowing tone, Gandalf looked as if he didn’t trust the girls.

“Good. Farewell,” He said before turning his horse around and riding away, the company turned to the girls.

“You have nothing to fear,” Rosie smiled, the girls watched as the company noticeably showed their relief, believing that the girls were somehow telling them that they would not befall any trouble in these woods. Man…Thorin was going to be pissed, it would be the Goblin cave all over again.

“Keep an eye out, do not let the sickness seep into your brain,” Thorin called as he entered the elven gate. The company formed a line and they plunged into the dark forest, a low-level fear piercing the hearts of all. Here we go.


	22. Dancing Over Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -The scene where the compant uses vines to cross the lake  
> -Frankie/Kili cuteness

Gandalf did not lie about the sickness of the forest, almost instantly the company fell prisoner to its effects. The girls were grouped together in the middle of the line, Fili and Kili ahead of them, Ori, Dori and Nori behind. Frankie took lead, Cece in the middle and Rosie at the end. They understood that the company would fall to its sickness, awaken a few spiders and be captured by the wood elves. That had to happen, and if they told any of these tenacious dwarves of it, they would surely go out of their way to stop it.

The girls were still persistent that they themselves would not fall to the forest’s mind games, that they, out of all of them, would remain strong and calm figures. But it got harder and harder with each step they took.

It wasn’t as if there was something pushing against you that you had to resist for as long as you could, no. It was just something. This something first took a toll on the small things, it would make you hear things that did not even exist, things scuttling around you and whispering to each other. It would make you see things in the shadows, faces, hands, teeth. It was something which you could only sit and watch yourself fall convict to it.

It would cloud your mind and stop you from thinking straight, play games with all your senses. It would turn things upside down, inside out, back to front, and all the while it would laugh. It would laugh and laugh and laugh at how you fell for its tricks, for how you tripped on its games and how you became wrathful of your repetitive loss.

Soon hours past. And every step, every second, every moment, was worse than the last. The dwarves audibly complained, their frightened voices sounding miles off, the only other thing that you could hear was Thorin’s shouts from the head of the group, trying to pull his company together.

The girls, however, stayed silent. Frankie concentrated on the hair of Kili in front of her, she stared at the clasp that held the front part of his brown mop together, surely, something that was of his heritage. She traced the intricate patterns with her eyes over and over until she realized that she could draw it perfectly with her eyes shut. She concentrated on her friends behind her, who currently were following her. Putting their feet where her feet went, if she was to make one wrong move, surely, they would follow.

Cece was the best of the three, she felt comforted by the presence of her two friends before and after her. She concentrated that Fili was only two bodies ahead of her, strong Fili who she had talked to none stop over the past few days. She put one foot in front of the other and ignored the games of the forest, she was prepared for what she would find.

Rosie who was at the back was no better than Frankie. She saw her two friends in front of her, she watched how their bodies moved and followed them herself. She found herself being affected by the whispers in her ear and the shadows which followed her. She, however, was stubborn in her own way and every time she found herself falling for mind tricks she would close her eyes and think of home, of her parents, her rabbits, her friends. This kept the monsters at bay, but sometimes, it wasn’t enough. Soon the company came to halt.

“We’ve found the bridge,” Bofur called from the front, looking down at where the bridge had collapsed in the middle.

“We swim across?” Bilbo suggested looking down into the murky water.

“No, Gandalf forgot to mention,” Cece spoke up looking into the waters, “The reason this forest is sick is because there is an enchantment on the stream which runs through it. We can’t touch the water,” She nodded.

“If that is true then we must find another way across,” Thorin said turning and looking around. Cece smiled realizing that Thorin had now reached a point where he trusted the girls without a second thought.

“These vines look strong enough,” Kili called tugging on one as if he was about to swing across.

“Kili!” Thorin called, obviously worried for his sister-sons, “The lightest goes first,” Thorin said turning back to the company, Cece looked down at Bilbo. He is not going to like this she thought. She then looked up at Thorin and found his eyes on her, realization dawned on her.

“Me?” She asked as if she couldn’t believe it.

“You are the lightest, are you not?” Thorin asked.

“Well, I mean, I guess but…” Cece said, avoiding Thorin’s gaze.

“But?” He asked.

“Thorin if Cece does not want to – “Fili spoke up, obviously not too keen.

“I’ll do it,” Rosie spoke up. “I’m only like a pound heavier than Cece, it won’t make much of a difference,” she said.

“No,” Thorin said with finality looking at Rosie who raised an eyebrow. “Cece, come on,” He said. And that’s how Cece found herself gripping onto a vine, prepared to swing across, her fear visibly showing.

“Cece!” Frankie called from below her.

“What?” She called back, thankful her friend was delaying her jump.

“Remember when we went on that school trip to that camp,” Frankie called back.

“Yeah?” Cece replied, what did this have to do with swinging over a river.

“And we had to do all those activities like mud racing and rock climbing,”

“Hmm mmm,” Cece replied now looking down at the murky water.

“Just go back to that mindset, think of it like your Tarzan and your Jane is across the water,” She smiled warmly up at Cece. Somehow, this crappy idea lit some courage inside Cece, and without looking back she ran and jumped, gripping tightly onto the vine with shaky hands.

She didn’t make it very far, simply to the next section of vines about two meters away from the company, it became very apparent that she was going to have to clamber her way across the vines to get any further. Sighing, she closed her eyes and tried to picture the school camp they had stayed at that one summer, the warm sun, the bright forest and when she reopened her eyes she didn’t see a vine collection in the middle of a forest in middle earth, no. She saw an obstacle course that she had been set to do by her group leader from camp.

_Bring it on_. Thinking carefully and intricately Cece managed to clamber her way through some vines, she moved with effort and grunting noises, but it paid off. She not so much danced her way through the vines but did do a rather good Tarzan impression. There came moments where she found herself slipping closer to the water and fear spiked in her heart, but she (literally) got a grip and continued.

From the side of the river the entire company was watching her every move, if she were to fall she was out of their reach, but at least they could call positive words of encouragement to her from where they were standing. Thorin watched with them and there was a moment where Cece slipped so far down her face was an inch away from the surface of the water and Thorin’s own heart beat out of his chest. However, there also came a point where Cece took a chance and jumped the last meter landing safely on the other side of the water. The company cheered with relief and joy.

“Your turn!” Cece called and suddenly the company wasn’t as happy. Fili and Kili went first, Rosie and Frankie hot on their tails making sure to follow exactly where Cece went. Soon the whole company was tangled up in the vines making their way across messily. Cece sat on her side of the lake, heart pounding as she watched the group of people she had become so close to over the past few months literally dance over death.

She audibly squeaked when Fili lost his grip slightly and a braid from his hair was centimetres away from the waters' still surface. Cece tried to look at everyone at once, to watch her best friends who were on the left of her vision to Bifur, Bofur and Bombur who were dangling on the right. Then she turned and saw Bombur, sleeping on a branch, unstable.

“Bofur!” She cried to alert his cousin, but it was too late, Bombur slipped and fell into the water his snores growing louder alerting the group. There was silence for a moment as the company waited for something to happen. “Pull him out of the water!” Cece cried after a moment of no one doing anything. Bifur and Bofur did so and dragged him along the rest of the way.

Fili and Kili landed first and she pulled them up and further away from the water before waiting for everyone else to join them. It wasn’t long before Rosie jumped down to, engulfing her friend in a bone-crushing hug, Frankie joining in when she too landed. Soon the whole company had made it safely across the still water.

“You were so good,” Rosie exclaimed at her friend smiling broadly.

“Hey, Kili, what’s Tarzan in Kuhdzul?” Frankie called happily, Kili simply gave her a strange look, “Never mind,”

“What will we do about Bombur?” Rosie asked looking down at the dwarf’s sleeping form.

“We carry him,” Cece simply said, Rosie turned and gave her a look.

“Well obviously we don’t carry him,” She said to Rosie before turning to Fili, “You can though,” She said before turning and walking away to find the path. The company soon found themselves back on track and the sickness now re-entered their minds. The girls had been pushed forward to the group, Frankie again leading but now the whole company.

The walked for hours, maybe days, who could tell. They found themselves falling for the same mind games as they did before, growing tired and weary with each step. The dwarves behind them shouted different things which did not help, each one another blow against the girl's confidence.

“We need to rest!” Ori called from somewhere behind them and Frankie realized that he was right. Her mind was becoming so thick and foggy she was losing track of the path in front of her, she couldn’t concentrate on anything, it was like there were a hundred things in the world that were begging for her attention.

“He's right, we need a break,” Frankie sighed, unsure anyone heard her before collapsing onto the roots of a nearby tree. Cece fell on some roots opposite her whilst Rosie grabbed an overhead tree branch and tried to keep her balance.

“Fine,” Thorin half said, half whispered before he too grabbed a vine and threw his head back sporting a pained and weak expression. The company sat down and began to rest, but see the thing was, no matter how much they rested, it wouldn’t take away the fog that clouded their heads. With every moment they spent in this god-forsaken forest, their minds would get more and more corrupted, and nothing could stop that.

Frankie didn’t move from where she was sitting, simply kept her head in her hands and tried to keep the bile which rose in her throat down. She didn’t even notice the people around her, they seemed a million miles away.

“Frankie?” Came a voice next to hear, and for a moment she wasn’t sure whether the voice was real or in her head. Lifting her gaze, she turned and found herself face to face with Kili. “Are you okay?” He asked. It was the first thing she had heard in a while which didn’t echo around her mind.

“Yeah,” She responded, she didn’t have the energy to give some sassy reply.

“It’s going to be okay,” Kili said softly and somehow these words warmed her heart slightly.

“Yeah, it is,” She smiled weakly back and knew that she too had just sparked some hope into his heart. She closed her eyes again and realized she felt better with his presence nearby. “Can I have your rock for a moment?” She said suddenly, turning to face him again.

“My what?” He asked.

“The…the rock, you know, your promise rock,” She sighed, running her hands down her face. He appeared shocked that she knew of this, but he dived into his pocket and retrieved the dark rock with some ancient runes. He took Frankie’s hand and placed the rock inside of it with a warm smile.

“I’m guessing you know the story of this rock,” He smiled whilst Frankie looked down and ran her fingers over the markings.

“Just a little,” She smiled back, flipping it over and over in her hand, finding it to bring her some relaxation.

“Do I?” He suddenly asked, something unreadable in his voice.

“Do you what?” Frankie asked still concentrating on the rock itself.

“Fill out the promise of this rock?” The turning of the rock came to a halt.

“The rock is given to someone who you love,” Frankie said after a moment, trying hard to choose her words carefully.

“Who would that be?” Kili raised an eyebrow.

“You going to meet her very soon.” Kili sat back, an unreadable expression on his face. Frankie couldn’t help but feel a pang of something in her heart at the thought of Tauriel and Kili falling in love. Don’t get her wrong, she shipped that pretty fucking hard, but that was before she met Kili, before…

“Come on, let us continue,” Thorin announced. And with that, they gathered their stuff and pushed on. Kili got up abruptly lost in his own thoughts, he moved away from Frankie forgetting to take his stone, Frankie sighed and looked down at it before standing and pocketing it. She would keep it safe for now. Then she would give it back to him, so he could give it to the person he loves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are wondering I have posted two chapters today since I didn't post one yesterday, don't forget to read the other one as well


	23. Spiders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -Spider scene  
> -My bbe Legolas

The continued on their path, their minds simply getting worse and worse, it came to a point where the girls prayed for the spiders to show up soon. It wasn't long before the company found their minds more twisted than ever, and soon they came to a skidding halt.

“Nori, what is it?” Thorin asked.

“The path, it disappears,”

After this, hell broke loose. The frustration and fear of the company over the last few hours took over the dwarves. They moaned, groaned and shouted at each other and themselves. The girls found themselves a large rock and sat down on it together, trying to clear their minds.

Rosie and Frankie watched as a fight broke out between the dwarves, all of which had now turned angry at their twisted mental state. Cece, however, watched as Bilbo absent minded plucked at an overly large cobweb. Things are on track she thought and tried to be happy, but funnily enough, no happiness came.

Cece then watched as Bilbo began to climb a tree in search for the sunlight they all desperately needed. She felt her mind began to throb and feel sick once more when she realized that giant spiders were about to crawl from all sides of the forest.

“Quiet all of you!” Thorin cried and the company dropped the argument. “We’re being watched,” He breathed. The girls stood on the rock from where they were standing and drew their weapons. Thorin who saw this moved towards them. “What is it?” He asked desperately, “What did you not tell us!” The girls simply glanced at him before staring up at the trees above them where you could hear a mixture of thrumming and whispers.

“Did I ever tell you I have arachnophobia?” Frankie murmured, drawing her bow.

“Yes,” Rosie muttered, unsheathing her sword, “Thrice,” Just then a roar from above them filled the air followed by the disgruntled cry of Bilbo.

“Time to go,” Cece uttered quickly and with that, they turned and ran into the trees.

“Ce! What now!” Rosie cried as she ran alongside her friends, the company behind her. She turned and saw a dark figure with eight legs and sharp teeth loom on her right.

“We get captured!” Cece called back as she swung her dagger at a dark figure.

“Well, that’s just bloody brilliant!” Rosie called back as she took down a spider which was about the leap onto Ori. Cece turned around and became face to face with a giant spider, she was about to lift her dagger and pierce its eyes when she remembered that she needed to get caught. She paused for a moment and this allowed time for the spider to fling her into a sticky web.

“CE!” Someone called but she couldn’t see who. Her heart racing, she tried her best to not struggle as another spider took over and twisted her up in the web before dragging her away. She closed her eyes and just prayed that the others would follow her lead.

Rosie watched as her friend was pulled away and knew instantly what she had to do, looking down apologetically at Ori (who didn’t notice her) she stepped to the side and let a spider behind her take him down and away. She kept on fighting the spiders until she was sure 2/3’s of the company had been taken away. The only ones who were left were Fili, Kili, Dwalin, Balin and Thorin, well they certainly were not going down without a fight.

She looked at Frankie who was doing mighty fine on her own and threw her a look, Frankie simply nodded in response. The turned and looked up at a new set of spiders crashed through the trees and the stood to the side and let them pool over the five dwarves.

Frankie and Rosie found themselves being carted away as well, wrapped in a thin layer of spider silk. Soon they found themselves being hung upside down, the spiders around them crawling around and hissing at each other in their own language. Then the sound of a rock falling grabbed the attention of the spiders and pulled them away apart from one which was sniffing up Bombur. Cece thanked god, Bilbo and his ring were in the building.

Bilbo made quick work of the one spider left before revealing himself and his sword name. He then cut down the company with ease, watching as each of their bodies fell through the layers of cobwebs. The company soon made themselves free of the cobwebs and Frankie (her deep running phobia showing) threw up the contents of her stomach, a little way away.

“Did you know of this?” Thorin asked Rosie and Cece whilst Frankie was busy elsewhere, they didn’t even say anything, their faces showed the truth. Thorin shook his head and turned away from the girls, his anger evident.

“There are more spiders on the way, we must prepare to fight them,” Was all Rosie could manage to say, feeling a little off that Thorin was not shouting at them. The company nodded and prepped their weapons as the hisses of the spiders could be heard again.

It didn’t take long for the spiders to crash through the trees, without saying anything the whole group turned and began running, they didn’t get very far but at least they got somewhere which was more open, the battle began. Frankie kept close to Kili knowing that he was going to be separated from the rest of the company, Cece and Fili kept each trying to look out for the other and Rosie was anywhere and everywhere, killing anything which had more than two legs.

The company was far outnumbered, and they knew it, yet none of them chose to back down. Frankie worked with Fili for a moment, killing four spiders in a movement and when she finished she looked up in time to see Kili being grasped by a spider and thrown into another section of trees. Not today she thought as she clambered up after him. Rosie was dancing about (not literally) when she looked up and saw something blonde dash through the trees above them.

“My boyfriend’s here,” She turned to Cece and winked. Cece nodded and then looked around the company.

“Where’s Fran?” She asked.

“With Kili, I’m guessing, you go, I’ll stay here,” The two girls nodded and turned away. Rosie looked up and saw multiple elves coming to their aid, she then saw a nearby tree, time to start climbing. She scratched her way up the trunk until she reaches a branch which leads over to where the company were currently fighting both elves and spiders and loosing tremendously. Soon Legolas pulled an arrow in the face of Thorin.

“Do not think I won’t kill you dwarf,” He said lowly, Rosie watched intently. “It would be my pleasure.”

* * *

Cece burst into the opening where Frankie and Kili were back to backfiring arrow after arrow, she also burst in the same time of a certain red-haired elf. In this moment, several things happened: Kili was pulled away by a spider that he seemed to miss, Frankie and Cece saw each other and in an attempt to greet each other swapped places, Tauriel began to go beast mode and killed a good few spiders, Cece came to the aid of Kili and stabbed the spider behind him, Frankie turned around and saw the situation was being dealt with headed back to where the company was.

Frankie was just about to disappear to where the rest of the company was when she heard something from above her.

“Psst! Frankie, up here!” Came a hiss. Looking up Frankie saw Rosie perched on a tree branch. Making sure there were no elves around she clambered up the tree and sat next to Rosie looking down at the scene. They looked down on the situation and noticed that none of the elves were aware of their presence, which is pretty good going for Rosie and Frankie considering the elves hyper-awareness.

“I found these two not too far away,” Came the voice of Tauriel as she pulled Kili and Cece along with her she set them down next to the company, Frankie and Rosie stared at each other.

“Search them,” Legolas called and the girls watched as their friends were stripped from all their weapons and treasures. When Legolas and Tauriel began talking in elvish right below them, Rosie and Frankie began whispering to each other.

“We cannot leave Cece alone,” Rosie whispered to Frankie, “And if we stay out here we will be attacked by the Borg and his orc pack. We need a plan,” Hissed Rosie. Frankie looked lost in thought for a moment before her face cleared.

“You’re right,” Frankie said and the pushed Rosie off the tree branch.

 


	24. Elven Jail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -Angry Fili  
> -Angry Kili  
> -A better intro to Leggy and Tauriel

Rosie was only falling for a few seconds, but the landing was certainly softer than she was expecting. That’s because she didn’t actually land on the floor. No, she managed to literally fall into the arms of one blonde haired prince, and I am not talking about Fili. Rosie was shocked for a moment to find Legolas staring back at her, mirroring her own expression.

“Rosie?” Kili asked, half relieved, half shocked.

“The um, tree, was um…slippery,” She said before throwing mental curses to her friend. The next thing she knew Legolas’ arms gave out under her and she fell the rest of the way to the floor with a thump and a groan. “Was it necessary?” She looked up at Legolas who simply raised an eyebrow, she too was searched for all her weapons and goods before she joined the company on the floor.

“Where did you get this?” Legolas asked pointing Thorin’s own sword at Thorin.

“It was given to me,” Thorin growled. While Legolas and Thorin had a little showdown, Rosie tried to signal to Cece that Frankie was on the branch above their heads, but Cece appeared lost in her own world of thoughts. Legolas then called out something in elvish and the company was tugged away by the elves.

“Thorin, where’s Bilbo?” Bofur whispered to Thorin while everyone else was carted away, Thorin turned around and looked out at their surroundings.

“And where’s Frankie?” He whispered before he too was pulled away by an elven guard.

* * *

In the meantime, Frankie had scrambled back down the tree and was searching around the forest calling out for Bilbo in a whisper.

“Bilbo? Bilbo? Come out, come out, wherever you are,” She whispered knowing that she wouldn’t be able to see him due to his ring.

“Frankie?” Someone asked from behind her and Frankie turned around and came face to face with a dishevelled looking Bilbo. “What are you- “

“Doesn’t matter now, you need to listen,” Frankie said with urgency gripping onto the shoulders of Bilbo. “You need to follow the company and go into the eleven-palace thing, the company, as well as Rosie and Cece, will be placed in the jail cells, your job is to find a way for them to escape. But you need to listen to me Bilbo,” Frankie said leaning in, “Do not make yourself apparent until Rosie and Cece have talked to the elf king. Okay, don’t reveal yourself and whatever you do don’t take the ring off.”

“How do you- “

“It doesn’t matter. Here’s a clue on how to escape, go to the cellars, I will be waiting for you and the company when you do escape,” Frankie reassured making sure he was listening. “Got it?”

“Yeah but- “

“Yeah but nothing, go now!” Frankie hissed and pushed Bilbo in the direction of the distant noises of the company. Bilbo took a few paces forward then turned back to see Frankie, but she was already gone.

* * *

The company was dragged straight away to the jail cells of the elves, well the company minus Thorin who was no doubt throwing away their last hope of not only escaping Mirkwood but also surviving the Battle of Five Armies. Rosie and Cece were placed in separate cells which were opposite to Fili and Kili who both seemed to be ignoring the girls.

“Are you mad at us?” Cece called over to where Fili and Kili sat in separate cells, not looking at the girls, she also had to call over the noise of the other dwarves banging against their bars. When they didn’t respond or even look up at Rosie or Cece it was like a thin dagger to the heart. “Please, talk to us,” Cece called again, quieter but no less confident.

“Come on guys, Fili? Kili?” Rosie asked, pushing her face right up her bars, they didn’t respond again obviously showing signs that they wanted to be left alone, “You know something?” Rosie called again, “You guys are Kili’n me,” She said with a broad smile, but when neither Fili nor Kili looked up, it fell from her face pretty damn quick.

“Not the best time for a pun I must say,” Cece said to Rosie as she pulled away from her bars and sat down against the cold stone wall, her mind racing. Where is Frankie? Is she with Bilbo? What if she’s not in the elven palace? The land will be full of orcs right now? There’s no way in hell she can fight a whole army? Cece’s head was spinning and it seemed to refuse to stop. Normally when she was feeling like this she would want to talk to Rosie or Frankie but now, she wanted to talk to Fili. She wanted to explain to him that she was doing this for him, so he wouldn’t die.

“Fili,” She tried again, calling quietly across the now silent prison space.

“What?” Came his stiff reply. At least he replied this time Cece thought.

“I’m sorry,” She said after a moment. Fili didn’t respond.

* * *

Frankie followed Bilbo for a while, he would lead her to the opening of Thranduil’s palace. She kept to the trees as she watched Bilbo slip on the ring and run inside as Legolas looked back into the forest. Did he hear me? Frankie wondered as Legolas seemed to be looking for something. She was reassured when he turned back around, the tall doors closing behind him.

She sighed, now she was out here all alone, but at least the fogginess in her mind seemed to have cleared up. The closer she kept to the palace, the more at bay the sickness seemed. _Okay, I need to find the stream in which the company escapes in the meanwhile I must make sure I’m not found by any orc packs_. She stood up and looked around. _Brilliant_.

* * *

It wasn’t long before Thorin was pulled back into the chamber, being thrown into a cell of his own not too far away from Fili and Kili. Cece had given up trying to talk to either of the Prince brothers and had pushed herself to the very end of her jail cell trying to keep out of the light so no one could see her. Rosie simply sat in silence near the front of her cell watching everyone and everything.

“Did he offer you a deal?” Balin called.

“He did…” Thorin started.

“I’m guessing you told him he could shove it up his- “Rosie began leaning against her bars and looking at Thorin.

“Rosie,” Cece warned, her hurt and anger at Fili’s reaction bubbling up. Just then Legolas walked in on the scene, he was simply checking on the dwarves, nothing more. He was just turning to leave when Rosie remembered the plan.

“Legolas! Hey, Legolas up here!” Rosie called pressing her face against the cool bars. Legolas simply turned to her and then gave a small smirk.

“Yes, tree faller?” He asked, his voice strong and noble.

“Yeah, yeah, funny,” Rosie waved him off, Thorin watched intently. “Can I speak to Thranduil?” She asked. Thorin’s face turned bitter, he could only think the worst of what Rosie would do. Legolas thought for a moment, before nodding at a guard. The guards came up to the door and opened it, Rosie smiled. Maybe Legolas isn’t so much of a dick after all, she wondered.

“Rosie? Let me out?” Cece called running up and putting her face on the bars. Rosie looked up at Legolas who had his mouth in a firm line.

“It’ll be okay Cece, I can handle this,” Rosie smiled before turning around and following Legolas through the halls of the elven kingdom leaving her friend(s) behind.

“I do not trust her,” Thorin growled, “She will sell us out,” He muttered.

“Thorin! You do trust her, I can see it, you care about her just as if she was a dwarf in this company! So, stop pretending that you don’t!” Cece huffed at him, her anger bubbling again. Cece returned to her place at the back of her cell her anger at Thorin and Fili and the whole situation taking over. Thorin stayed quiet for the rest of the night.


	25. Offers to the King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -Thranduil bitchz

Rosie walked with Legolas and the other guard in the handsome hallways, their footsteps echoing around them. It wasn’t long before she was led up a set of stone steps to where Thranduil was standing on his throne platform, his back to her. Legolas said something up to his father in elvish and Thranduil simply turned and looked down at Rosie who stood confidently, her hands by her sides. Thranduil replied in the elvish tongue and Legolas nodded before gesturing to the elven guards who turned and left them, he however stayed.

“King Thranduil,” Rosie said bowing low before standing back up, she knew how sassy he was going to get. If only Frankie was here.

“I do not believe we met before,” He said simply walking to the side his cloak billowing out behind him.

“No, I don’t think we have either,” Rosie replied trying her best to remember her manners.

“Are you with Thorin Oakenshield and his company?” He asked not looking at her.

“Yes,” She replied strongly.

“You are of no dwarf species,” He said turning to her and fixing her with an icy gaze.

“No, I am not a dwarf," Rosie replied, her patience running thing rather quickly.

"Then why do you travel with a company of them, why are you here?" He asked, looking down at her with curiosity in his eyes.

"The reason I am here is to give you an offer,” She said looking down at where her hands were bound in metal chains.

“There is nothing that you can offer me,” He said with finality before making a gesture for Legolas to take her away.

“How about an offer for the gems of pure starlight?” Rosie asked just as Legolas had lightly tugged on her arm, pulling her away. Thranduil stopped Legolas and stared at her, an unreadable expression drawn on his face.

“I am listening,” He said, a darkness now creeping into his voice. Legolas raised an eyebrow before retreating to his previous position.

“I am part of the company, which means at the end of the quest I will take a share of the gold in Erebor. I believe I can convince Thorin to give me the gems that you want as my share,” She said, walking around the little platform they stood on.

“Why would you do such a thing?” He asked as if he didn’t believe her.

“A war is coming.” Rosie said simply, “In exchange for the gems I ask for your hand to fight in this war,” She turned to Thranduil knowing that Legolas was watching her every move.

“A war between whom?”

“Elves, Orcs, Dwarves, Men and Beasts,” Rosie said simply.

“Why?” Thranduil asked. Rosie took a deep breath, here we go. Speaking from memory, Rosie told Thranduil of everything he needed to know, of how Thorin would fall prey to the gold sickness and become greedy for the Arkenstone, how Thorin would refuse the men of Laketown their share of the gold, how Bilbo would give them the Arkenstone as a wager, Dain, the orcs and eventually the death of Thorin, Fili and Kili. Funny how the first person she has fully told the story to was Thorin’s ‘greatest’ enemy.

Thranduil then asked how she knew of this information and then Rosie began to explain that she was from a different world. Thranduil listened carefully as did Legolas, both of them hanging onto every word that escaped Rosie's lips. Rosie explained about Cece (she chose not to mention Frankie since she wasn't here). She told them everything that they needed to know, and she only hoped for their trust in return.

“The life of those dwarves does not inconvenience me, and neither will their death,” Thranduil said after Rosie had finished, the then again turned away.

“But what about those gems? I am giving you an offer that Thorin would certainly never give you, I can promise you your wife’s gems,” Rosie said this caused Thranduil to crumple a little bit, “All ask for in return is for you to not turn your blade against us but rather on that of the true enemy.” Never before had Rosie felt more powerful, for the first time in her life it felt like she was actually doing something, that she was actually making a difference.

“Will Thorin know of this plan?” Thranduil asked. Rosie paused before replying.

“I don’t know how sick Thorin is going to get, it’s too soon to tell. For now, if you accept, we keep this between us, if Thorin is in a well enough state of mind, I will tell him,” Rosie said, the very thought of having to deal with a gold sick Thorin making her feel ill.

“Fine. I, King Thranduil, accept the offer of…” Thranduil trailed off.

“Rosanna Parker, but please, call me Rosie,”

“However,” Thranduil spoke up, Rosie's heart dropped, “I want an apology from Thorin Oakenshield before you leave,” Man this dude just wants everything he can’t have. Rosie winced and gave a nod before turning to go. Good thing that they didn’t even need Thranduil’s permission to leave. She walked with Legolas and Legolas alone back to the elven jails, lost in thought.

"You are lucky," He said causing Rosie to lift her gaze to the stony-faced elf. "My father does not trust people easily,"

"Good thing he does trust me, I just spilt my guts to him," Rosie sighed wiping away a bead of sweat which had collected on her forehead. Legolas gave her a strange expression, "Nevermind," She mumbled, it was easy to forget that some catchphrases were as not well known. "I like you Legolas," She said after a while.

"You do not know me," He responded simply.

"No," She smiled back, "I don't think I do."

* * *

 “She’s been gone a while,” Bofur called from somewhere above, obviously upset of the disappearance of the two girls and the hobbit.

“She will be fine,” Kili called back. Cece sat with her eyes shut trying to drown out the noises of the dwarves. If only I could have some silence she thought. Suddenly came the sound of not so distant footsteps echoing through the halls. Cece lurched to her bars and saw Rosie re-enter the jail cell next to her. Cece watched and waited until Legolas had shut her door and moved out of hearing range. Just as Cece was about to open her mouth and question her friend, Rosie gave her an answer.

“It’s done,” She whispered. Cece smiled.

* * *

Frankie had found the stream in which the company would escape and kept close by it. Hopefully, they would leave soon because Frankie had no food and was very cold and alone. She had her bow drawn at all times, moving in the shadows away from the keen eyes of the elves and orcs. Sometimes she would hear a noise and her body turned to ice then she realized it was simply a passing rabbit or other woodland creature. _Come on Rosie, Cece, hurry up._

They spent the entire night in the jail cells, no one really talking to anyone, they each were in their own little mind palaces. Thorin wasn’t talking to Rosie and Rosie wasn’t talking to Thorin, Kili seemed to be talking to everyone but not wanting to and Fili muttered a few words here and there but never directed at the girls. All of them, no doubt, blamed the girls for their capture, which was understandable. The only thing that was exciting was when Tauriel came to check on the cells, where she was supposed to have a ‘falling in love’ conversation with Kili.

Rosie leaned against her bar and watched as Tauriel came to Kili’s jail, she paused but did not stop. Then Rosie realized that Kili was not playing with his promise stone. _What have I missed?_ Rosie thought.

“You, what’s your name?” Kili asked suddenly pushing to the front of his bars and looking up at Tauriel who stopped in her tracks. _Ah, here we go_ , Rosie, thought.

“My name?” Tauriel asked stepping back slightly to look at the dwarf. “Is it appropriate?” She continued, raising an eyebrow.

“Maybe, maybe not,” Kili said back, a glint in his eye.

“Tauriel,” She said, the world rolling off her tongue effortlessly.

“Kili,” He replied. “Sounds like quite a party they’re having up there,” Kili motioned to where the music of the elves could be heard. Rosie sat back and let the words of the dwarf and elf wash over her, she found their conversation soothing and pure. Looking back she saw Tauriel sitting on the stone steps whilst Kili talked to her about the fire moon. Rosie then lifted her eyes up and saw a lone silhouette looking down upon Tauriel and Kili, a lone silhouette with blonde hair. Legolas.

As if knowing exactly she was looking, he glanced down at Rosie. They watched each other for a moment before Rosie brought a finger to her lips as to shush Legolas, she then turned back to Tauriel and Kili, as did Legolas.

“Fire moons are a rare and precious thing, hold onto that memory with everything you have,” Tauriel said wisely.

“Your right, but sometimes holding onto your past stops you from seeing into your future,” Kili said, not as if he was trying to show off but as if he honestly was lost in thought, “And sometimes you must forget about both the past and the future and focus on the present, on what you have,” Kili continued.

“And what do you have?” She said after a moment. Kili paused for a moment, his face blank then a warm, small smile formed on his lips. He said nothing, but it was evident he was thinking of something. Rosie felt eyes on hers and she looked up at Legolas, his expression unreadable, he looked as if he were saying something to Rosie before he turned and walked away.

After Tauriel left, Kili sat at the back of his cell, lost in his thoughts. The others were left in the silence, pondering the exchange of words between the dwarf and elf. Thorin sat in his cell, he had looked on as his own nephew smiled up at the wicked elf, he had watched as his own kin defied his expectations.

He had also watched Rosie and the elf they call Legolas, their silent conversations. An anger was brewing within him, one that he was so often of feeling recently. He was angry at both Kili and Rosie for acting to kindly to their enemies of all people. But he had hope, even he knew that Rosie, Cece and Frankie would not lead them into these dungeons only to miss their chance at reclaiming their homeland, there were still a few weeks and he had faith in both Frankie and the hobbit. He had faith.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be no Legolas/Rosie I intend to turn them into besties.


	26. Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -Escape from the elven jail

It was now their third day of being stuck in the elven jail and nothing had advanced. Rosie had told Thorin that he would need to apologize to Thranduil and of course, he had responded with something along the lines of ‘over my dead body’ but with some khudzul words thrown in there. It was now morning and everyone was sleeping, everyone but a certain blonde prince dwarf.

Fili sat there alone, he didn’t like being here (not just because they were trapped) but because you were forced to sit and face your thoughts. He didn’t even have any remaining knifes that he could play with, they had literally taken every single one off him if that was possible. The more Fili sat and thought, the more confused he was becoming.

He was mad at the girls, no doubt, they were wasting time in the prison of the elves, and since time was against them it wasn’t exactly helpful. But the main reason he was mad was because Cece had not breathed a word of warning of this to him. He had noticed that he was becoming closer to the girls and in particular Cece, who always had time to listen to his problems when others would tell him to ‘suck it up’ and ‘it’s in your blood to not complain’. Cece over the past few weeks had been there for him in a way no one else in middle earth had. Not his brother, mother, uncle…no one. She was also pleasantly nice to talk to, and he found the sound of her voice soothing and comforting.

But even though they had become so close over these past few weeks, she still did not trust him enough to tell them their fate. The fact that she knew it and still refused to tell them everything was what seemed to be a wall in their relationship. He wanted her to trust him, he wanted her to confide in him and share her woes, yet she still held back. It was almost as if she was holding something from him.

Fili looked up from his cell where he could just see a scruff of blonde hair from Cece’s own cell. What he was doing to her was unkind, but she needed to understand that he was not okay with this. He found himself longing to be inside Cece’s cell, talking to her, just talking, being close to her again, in more ways than one. As he watched her hair move slightly every time she breathed he found his stony exterior over the past three days crumble. _How can I do this to her?_ Fili wondered _she is only doing what she believes to be right._ And she knows what's coming, _I have to trust her, even if it sounds insane_.

“Ce!” He whispered, his urge to talk to her becoming too strong to ignore. Cece did nothing but move slightly in her sleep. “Ce!” He hissed again knowing how much of a light sleeper she was. She made a noise this time, a small grunt as she again moved in her sleep. “Ce!” He called one last time.

“What?” She called back now lifting her head and staring at him groggily. Fili paused, now what?

“You have nothing to be sorry for. I should be the one saying sorry, after how I’ve been treating you over the past few days,” Fili blurted.

“What…back up, what are you talking about?” She mumbled, squinting at Fili in the low lighting.

“You said sorry on the first day we got captured and I ignored you,” Fili explained feeling some heat rise in his cheeks. “I was just explaining that you didn’t need to say that,” He now avoided the gaze of Cece, she didn’t say anything for a few painful moments.

“You dope,” She finally said, Fili looked up afraid that she was still mad at him but she was smiling and shaking her head. “It doesn’t matter now, all that matters is that we get out of here as soon as possible,” She smiled. Fili felt something come to life in his heart when he saw Cece smiling at him, the warmness that started out in his chest spread through his whole body.

“Agreed,” He said, looking serious but feeling like he was floating. “How do we escape?” He then asked. Cece looked taken aback.

“How do you…” She trailed off.

“Well I’m guessing that Thorin is not going to apologize to Thranduil, and we leave somehow,” He smiled at her, who paused before smiling back.

“I like you,” She smiled at him, Fili turned his head making it seem as if he was pulling on his thick coat however he was actually turning to cover up the red glow that had sprung in his cheeks.

“So how do we escape?” Fili lowered his voice.

“Well, Bilbo…” Cece trailed off thinking.

“Is right here,” Came a small voice. Cece leapt to the front of her cell and saw Bilbo on the other side holding up a keychain.

“Bilbo!” Cece half-whispered, half-cheered.

“Have you talked to Thranduil?” Bilbo asked.

“Well, Rosie has, but what does that have to do with – “Cece stumbled on her words.

“Good, let’s go,” Bilbo nodded before opening the door of Fili’s cell who grinned happily and clapped the poor hobbit on the back. Bilbo went around and quickly opened all the cells, Fili going in after him and waking anyone who was inside up. As soon as Cece was out she felt the rush of excitement pulse through her. She jumped into Rosie’s cell and woke her upbringing her the good news.

“Brilliant!” Rosie whisper-cried before standing up and jumping out of her cell before looking around.

“Um, Bilbo?” She asked, searching for something.

“Yes?” Bilbo asked whilst he made sure he had got everyone.

“Where’s Frankie?” She asked raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, where is she?” Cece asked, her brows furrowed.

“What do you mean? She chose to stay behind in the forest,” Bilbo said as if it were obvious. There was a pause.

“What?” Cece growled, not sure she heard that right.

“She’s still in the forest.” There was silence as the people realized where their friend was.

“I’m actually going to kill her,” Rosie said simply.

“If she's still alive," Cece raised an eyebrow at her friend, "Now, Bilbo, the escape plan,” Cece nodded at Bilbo.

“You have an escape plan?” Thorin asked, his arms folded but his face was impressed.

“Yes, now come on, follow me!” He said taking lead of the group. People started to follow Bilbo, Rosie was about to follow when she saw Thorin looking after the company.

“He’s changed,” He said to no one in particular.

“That’s what people do,” Rosie smiled at him before following on after the group. Thorin smiled again, _you have no idea._

* * *

Frankie was now sitting in a tree, she had found it to be the safest place. She had come across some of the orcs and had scarped upwards and hadn’t come out since. It was the first time she had properly been alone in this world, and she wasn’t particularly enjoying it.

From the tree, she was perched on she had a rather good view of the river and where the company was supposed to escape from. She was now extremely cold and hungry and was desperate for the company to come out soon. She was making the small scraps of bread and water she had in her bag last for as long as she possibly could. But she didn’t have long left, of either dying from pneumonia, hunger or orcs.

_Come on, come on, come on._

* * *

The company wove its way through the elven halls, the dwarves trying and failing to be as quiet as they could. Bilbo, as expected, led the dwarves down into the cellars where the elf guards could be found sleeping, passed out from their port.

“This way,” Bilbo whispered leading the company further in.

“I don’t believe it, we’re in the cellars!” Kili hissed.

“You’re supposed to be leading us out not further in,” Bofur glared at Bilbo. The dwarves began voicing their complaints in hushed tones when Cece heard something above them.

“Quiet!” She hissed at them all, they all shut up pretty quickly. “Listen,” She said again, and the company did. A set of footsteps could be heard running towards them.

“Get in the barrels,” Rosie hissed, this caused a ripple of confusion to course through the dwarves.

“What?” The all muttered in unison.

“Just... do as Bilbo or Cece says,” Rosie continued, her mind focused somewhere else.

“Where are you going?” Cece asked as Rosie edged her way back up the stairs.

“I’m going to delay them,” Rosie said with a mischievous grin.

“What?” Cece asked.

“Never mind, just go along with it,” Rosie grinned at her.

“I don’t –“ Cece started but couldn’t finish since Rosie had already disappeared back up the stairs. She paused and watched the space where her friend used to be.

“Do you even have a plan?” Thorin asked raising an eyebrow at Cece. Cece closed her eyes and breathed.

"Yes," She said curtly, turning back to the dwarves.

“Oh really, what is it?” Thorin said sounding genuinely impressed.

“Do whatever the fuck you want and hope for the best,” Cece said before swinging herself around and diving feet first into a barrel.

* * *

Rosie crept out now realizing this probably wasn’t the best idea, the excitement of being rebellious was something she was going to have to learn to ignore. The footsteps she heard before she could have sworn were Legolas’ but he was nowhere in sight. She didn’t really move from where they had come from, just out for the elven guards, if they were coming she would distract them whilst the others left. You may think she sounds crazy (she is but not the point) but she does have a plan, I promise. Rosie was just about to climb back down the steps when she heard someone behind her, turning around she came face to face with Tauriel, Legolas and a group of elvish guards.

“Um…,” She trailed off after a moment, looking around. The elves simply cocked their heads to one side before grabbing her arms and hoisting her up. Legolas spoke something to the guards in elvish who then turned and ran away in another direction leaving her with Legolas and Tauriel.

“How did you escape?” Legolas asked as he put shackles on Rosie’s wrists.

“Long story,” She mumbled. Legolas took one of her arms whilst Tauriel took the other and led her up a familiar set of stone steps. It wasn’t too long before Rosie found herself yet again standing before the elven king.

“Hello again,” She said smoothly trying to ease the tension.

“Rosanna Parker,” Thranduil started, “You, are a traitor,” He said simply, turning around, his elven cape swooshing out behind him dramatically. “You and I had a deal, a deal on the terms that I would release you when Thorin Oakenshield had bestowed his apologies. This is a deal which you have turned your back on,” He growled, his anger quaking through his features.

“A deal which was based on impossible terms,” Rosie called in her defence.

“Impossible?” Thranduil gasped. “The terms were not…impossible.” He spat.

“What does it matter now, the company have escaped and are probably long gone,” she said.

“No thanks to you,” He growled back.

“I’m sorry if you made an impossible deal that I simply could not be lived up to. But we took matters into our own hands,” Rosie growled. “Dwarves are stubborn…but you know what… _so are elves_!” She raised her voice, her irritation at Thranduil rising.

“Legolas!” Thranduil called. “Take her back to the dungeons, and bring her friends back to join her,” Thranduil growled. Legolas nodded curtly at his father before taking Rosie’s arm and leading her away. Tauriel joined them as they walked back to the jail cells. When Rosie felt she was far enough away from Thranduil she wrenched her arm out of Legolas’ grip and pushed herself against the wall. Legolas and Tauriel both jumped at this and prepared their weapons.

“Please don’t take me back, say I escaped or something but please. My friends will not be returning and I will not allow myself to rot in an aristocratic asshole’s dungeon,” Rosie pleaded at the two elves.

“I am sorry Rosie, but there is nothing we can do,” Legolas said hurriedly taking Rosie’s arm again who simply pulled it back.

“Trust me, you can, you’re going to want me out there,” She turned to Tauriel, “The dwarf Kili, if I don’t go out there and help them, then he will die.” Okay maybe that was a little white lie, but it worked. The shock and worry were visible on the auburn-haired elf. She turned to her friend who had his mouth in a firm line. He stayed like that for a while not looking at Tauriel. At some point, he glanced up at her and saw the pleading pain in her eyes, this must have struck home with him because he slowly nodded. The elves turned to go when Rosie stopped them.

“I need a weapon,” she said. Legolas simply reached behind her and pushed on the stone causing her to tumble into a hidden room. Rubbing her back she looked around and saw weapon upon weapon stashed and stored in golden light. With her mouth agape she looked around, so many decisions, then she looked at the end of the room where a brown bag had been chucked carelessly. She moved towards it and peeled away the flap to reveal the majority of the company’s weapons. Smiling she threw the bag over her shoulder and stumbled a little due to its weight, she was just about to leave when she turned around and plucked three beautifully crafted swords. Walking out the two elves raised an eyebrow, she simply shrugged and put on of the swords on her belt and the other on her back, arming herself with the third.

“Let’s go,” She said to the elves who nodded, and off they went.


	27. A River Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -River battle scene  
> -Violence  
> -Fighting

Cece fell into the water, her dwarf friends crying out in shock near her as they too plunged into the icy river, she, however, had expected this and had held her breath. In the last few moments before the floor gave out she grabbed Bilbo by his collar and pulled him safely into her barrel, the two plummeted down, Bilbo giving a short, sharp yell. For a second they were submerged down under, the frosty water a shock to their systems. Then they resurfaced and found themselves at the back of the pack near Thorin.

“Well done master Baggins,” Thorin smiled gratefully before swivelling around in his barrel and moving forward. Before she continued she took one last glance up at the elven palace. _Come on Rosie._

Meanwhile, Rosie was running with Tauriel and Legolas, pushing with all her might to keep up. She was struggling to run under the weight of the bag on her back but was determined to continue. They swivelled around a corner and broke out into daylight, the sun blinded Rosie for a moment and she became aware of how long it had been since she had felt it upon her skin. An elf guard was there and Legolas called something to him, the elf nodded and sounded a horn. _Shit, should not have let him do that, should not have let him do-_

“Here,” Tauriel said turning to her, her hand out towards Rosie.

"Pardon?" Rosie responded, confused.

“Your bag, you won’t be able to fight with such a weight,” She said, Rosie was reluctant but handed the bag to Tauriel who swung it onto her back as if it were nothing more than a bag of feathers. Without questioning anything more the three turned and broke out into a run towards to scene before them, each for their own reasons.

* * *

Cece watched carefully as an elven guard pulled a familiar lever down, the gate before them closing in their face. She then squeaked as she and Bilbo were battered around in their barrel. She and the hobbit managed to steady themselves as best they could, however, the fear that next struck Cece's heart was not for the same reason, an elven guard above them fell, an arrow in his back. A few seconds later an orc clambered over the gate walls, a sickening smile plastered on his face.

“Guys…” She warned and the irate dwarves paused and looked up at the gate, joining Cece in her shock. It doubled when another appeared, followed by another, and another. Soon orcs were spewing over the gate and all sides. Cece heard calling to her right and managed to lift her head in the direction to see the gruesome appearance of Bolg calling orders to his minions. The company began fighting off any and all orcs which came even slightly close, weaponless. Cece paused for a moment and looked through the mass and mayhem as Kili looked at the lever in wonder. _No, no, no_ she thought.

“KILI!” She cried, but it was too late, Kili jumped up and out of his barrel heading towards the lever. He took on any oncoming orcs with vigour and was even more unstoppable when he got his hands on a large wooden stick that was thrown to him by Dwalin. Cece tried with all her might to get up after him, but he was too far away. Twisting her head back around she caught sight of Bolg, arming his large bow. “NO!” She cried again and pushed harder than ever before to get to the other side of the small clearing. Bolg took aim. Cece managed to get her hands on the stone floor on the other side and push herself upwards before she looked behind her. Bolg took a shot.

The spear moved quickly and fast, it was a blur of airborne wood and metal. Cece found the breath leave her body as she watched it, unable to help. Her heart beat out of her chest, her hands began to shake, her hairs stood on end. And there was a sickening crunch of wood. Cece closed her eyes and buried her face in her shoulder. How could I do this? _I had one chance, one chance…_

“Frankie?” Someone called. Cece looked up. Standing over an unharmed Kili who had been pushed to the side, Frankie stood high and resilient. She had her bow in her hand, almost as if she had just shot something. Cece then looked a little way ahead of her and saw Borg’s spear, snapped in half, one of Frankie’s arrows not too far away from it. Frankie had a fierce look in her eyes, a look of courage and pure determination. And Cece had never been happier to see her friend.

“Frankie…” Cece breathed and found herself being pulled back down into her barrel by strong hands. Looking up she saw Frankie pushing Kili into the water whilst she twisted around and pulled down on the lever, the gate opening before she twirled around, she took a few perfectly aimed shots before turning to Bolg. He snarled at her and roared in anger, Frankie, however, took aim but had to duck out of the way of an oncoming orc arrow from her right. Twisting around she took her chance and fired at Bolg, managing to pierce his stomach before jumping into Kili's barrel. Cece smiled. They were all together, all of them…except one.

* * *

Rosie ran with Legolas and Tauriel, she had seen the whole scene which transpired between Frankie, Kili and Bolg whilst she was fighting as many orcs as she could. The blade she held in her hand was faultless and was the perfect tool for her to become a killing machine. She slew everything in her path feeling stronger with her two new friends by her side. Soon, she managed to get up on the gate, but she too late, the company was already making their way downstream.

“Tauriel! Legolas!” She called, as she ducked out the way of an orc's arrow. They turned and looked at her, mid-fight. She simply nodded towards the stream before she jumped over the gate and onto solid ground. Rosie was now cut off from Legolas and Tauriel who were no doubt making their way too her, there was just a small pile of bricks which separated them. Of course, she was not the only one who was after the company.

Looking behind her briefly she saw the orcs flock over the gate and head towards her and the land that laid ahead. _Time to go_ she thought as she turned around and ran. The orcs fired arrows at her which she ducked and dived making sure to stagger her running so that she would be a constant moving target. It wasn’t soon before she saw a flash of blonde hair not too far behind her. _Just keep going._

Cece had a deathly grip on the rim of her barrel as she was thrust from side to side and against the poor, little hobbit. She could see the orcs running alongside their river and found that she did not want to escape her crouching position to look up. But she needed to know where Rosie was, for all she knew, Rosie was back at the palace, too far behind for them to do anything. The thought made Cece sick.

Thorin was desperately trying to lead his people, but that’s hard to do when your being thrust around a barrel. He had seen Frankie join them and had witnessed a glimpse of Rosie’s brown hair, he just hoped that she was in fact with them and nowhere else. _Come on, Mahal, we’ve made it so far…_

Rosie was now once again running with Tauriel and Legolas, she didn’t own a bow, so she couldn’t do much long-distance work but as soon as an orc was in reaching distance she would take that son of a bitch down. The company became closer and closer and soon she could make out the strong mane of Frankie and the bush of blonde hair that was Cece. Just a little further she pushed. It wasn’t long before she was running alongside the company, taking down anyone that got too close, her lungs now burning like a wildfire.

“Rosie!” A dwarf called, she turned to the scene just in time to lock her eyes with Thorin’s own. And only then did she see how much worry he held in them. In this moment Rosie had turned her back on an orc and Tauriel thankfully shot him cleanly in the neck. The company was at least now aware that she was nearby. Legolas then jumped on to the dwarves in the barrels, impressively shooting multiple orcs from there whilst Rosie now ran alone, becoming dangerously tired. A little further, then we can jump into safety, a little further...

Frankie had her bow out and was helping Rosie by taking down any orcs which got too close to her fierce friend. In the meanwhile, Kili was on the other side of the barrel using an orcs own weapon to take them down. Frankie then twisted and paused for a moment to only realize that she had run out of arrows, she, unfortunately, let her guard down and didn’t see the arrow which a nearby orc had just thrown her way. Thankfully Kili grabbed her by the waist and pulled her low into the barrel just as they went over a rather rocky part of the river. Frankie didn’t say thank you, there would be time for that later.

Fili had also had also managed to get his hands on an orc weapon, he armed himself and took down as many orcs that dared to come so close. In the meantime, he was constantly glancing towards Cece and the hobbit, neither of them were top notch fighters but they seemed to manage, he was prepared for any danger that got too close to them.

Rosie continued running and killing, it was all she could do, she couldn’t lose them, not now. And what if she did? What then? Where would she go? Rosie looked ahead and realized something, the path before her stopped. It turned into a rocky wall, she could go no further. Looking across the river she saw Legolas fighting, she also managed to catch Thorin throwing an axe he found to protect the elf. Legolas paused for a moment and looked up at Rosie, there was something in his expression, he looked as if he was telling Rosie something, he then nodded.

Rosie looked down at the crashing, wild water and was about to jump when something was thrown at her. Ducking, it hit the wall behind her, she looked at it and saw the brown bag of weapons she had discovered in the weapon room. Looking back across the river she saw the face of Tauriel who nodded at her, smiling warmly before turning away.

Rosie looked one last time at Legolas before she gathered the bag in her arms, held her breath and jumped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just realised that the number chapter I post corresponds with the date...


	28. Looking Ahead

Thorin looked behind him just in time to see Rosie’s small body falling into the water, his heart sank. _Is she hurt? What was the bag in her arms? She’s too far behind, we can’t help her_ Thorin angrily thought, something rising in his chest. As Rosie fell into the wild water Thorin lost sight of her, he could only hope and pray that she was going to be okay.

Legolas watched as Rosie began floating downstream, her body being thrown this way and that, not having the protection of a wooden barrel to help her. He was watching her go when he heard a noise behind him, looking around in time he saw an arrow be shot out of the air by another and strong, beautiful Tauriel diving in and coming close to killing the orc which had fired the initial arrow.

“ _Tauriel! Wait! This one we keep alive_ ,” Legolas spoke in the elvish tongue, Tauriel gave a fierce look at Legolas and then when she thought he had turned away she looked longingly down the river. An ache spread through Legolas’ chest to see her look at someone the way he wished she did him. He too looked down the river to see the small frame of Rosie disappear out of sight. _I wish you well, little one_ he thought.

As for Rosie, she was having a whole other experience. Rosie was an okay swimmer, no better or worse than the next person. But that was when your swimming in a calm pool, maybe a salty sea, _not_ a fanatical river. Rosie felt her body being thrown this way and that, she didn’t know which way was up and which way was down. All she could do was splutter for air as she plunged in and out of the water. She gripped tightly to the bag and felt it weigh her down, but she refused to let it go, these weapons were important, these weapons were needed. Multiple times she felt certain parts of her slam against something hard, her body thrummed and ached. The water was icy cold, and it felt like needles attacking her from all over. _I’m going to make_ it she thought to herself a wave of confidence slamming into her, and then the lights went out.

The barrels slowed down once they got to calmer waters, the company soon found a rocky piece of land where they could take refuge. They clambered onto it, beaten, bruised and cold, simply seeking a warm fire and a hearty meal. Cece spluttered out of the barrel and helped the hobbit along before she was taken in a pair of arms. She melted into them and at first thought it was Frankie but she found herself running her hands through a blonde lion’s mane.

“It’s okay, it’s all going to be okay,” She whispered into Fili’s ear when she felt the tension that was so prominent on his shoulders. This made him visibly relax and he squeezed Cece with his thick arms. She was pulled away by someone else and found herself in yet another bone-crushing hug, this time it was Frankie.

“I was so worried!” Frankie cried as she engulfed her friend.

“You were?” Cece cried back. “How the hell do you think I felt, finding out that my friend was out here all alone?”

“Yeah, yeah whatever, it’s fine, I’m okay,” Frankie pulled back and smiled softly, ruffling Cece’s now wet mop.

“Where’s Rosie?” Ori called from where he was stood on a rock looking around, an unreadable look on his face. Cece and Frankie made eye contact for a moment before they ran to the edge of the water, the company hot on their tails.

“Come on Rosie, come on,” Frankie muttered her eyes wide and anxious as she watched and waited for something, anything to appear in the calm water. Thorin had pushed himself to the front and was viewing the water with an agonized glare. Then, a lump of something came around the corner, floating its way towards the company.

“ROSIE!” Cece cried, running into the water however Thorin had beat her to it. Thorin being a strong swimmer moved across the water in record time, he gripped onto the floating form and began leading it back with haste. As soon as Thorin could put his feet on the ground, he scooped Rosie up in his arms and laid her out on some of the softer stones.

“Come on, wake up Rosie, wake up,” He muttered moving her pale face side to side. Frankie and Cece’s hearts fell.

“Move!” Frankie yelled throwing Thorin off her friend and to the side with more force than necessary. Frankie opened Rosie’s mouth and began feeling for air.

“I think she’s got water in her lungs,” She simply stated to Cece whilst ripping her we jacket from her body.

“Know what to do?” Cece asked as she took position.

“Yes.” And with that Frankie clipped onto Rosie’s nose and breathed twice into the mouth of her friend.

“Her chest is rising,” Cece said in a deadly serious tone as she bustled about, her brave face on. “Pulse?”

“Faint,” Frankie spluttered as she tried and pushed down her anxiety. She had only done this once before when she was younger, her best friend fell in the lake and she dragged her out, she was only 7, she had no idea what to do. Little Frankie ran inside screaming and soon an ambulance was her to take Jessica away. Jess made it, but with seconds to spare, and Frankie spent three months of her life perfecting her knowledge on what to do in these type of situations.

Pulling herself back to reality she turned to Cece who bore an agonized look on her face before she nodded. Frankie took a deep breath and turned back to Rosie and began to pump onto her chest, her fingers intertwined, singing ‘staying alive’ under her breath to keep in time. After the 30 pumps, she leaned down and gave 2 breaths into her mouth. Cece sat there shaking, her stony exterior crumbling, pulling the hair out of Rosie’s face like a mother would do a child.

“Come on Rosie, come on,” Frankie muttered, the whole company surrounded them, tension like a dark cloud above them. Frankie repeated what she had just done. “Come on Rosie, you made a promise, remember? It was years ago, but you made a promise, you’re not going back on your promise, I won’t let you,” Frankie muttered to herself and Rosie.

Cece watched in agonizing pain how Frankie was desperately trying to save their friend’s life, she stroked Rosie’s hair and let Frankie’s words of a ‘promise’ wash over her, she knew nothing of this promise, but it didn’t matter now. Thorin was kneeling by Rosie’s feet, his hand gripping his jaw, the other wrapped around his torso. _She’s not going to die, she’s not going to die, she’s-_

Rosie’s whole body jolted as she began coughing and spluttering. Cece rolled her over into the safety position and sighed as their friend coughed up a large amount of water. The company sighed and clapped each other on the back. When she was strong enough, Rosie groggily looked up at all of her friends surrounding her.

“Hey,” She said lazily, visibly weak. The company cheered, and the girls laughed and shook their heads.

“I thought for a moment you were about to go back on the promise you made,” Frankie muttered, raising an eyebrow a sad smile on her lips.

“No, I don’t think I would ever do that,” Rosie said softly smiling up at her friend. “Thorin?” She called and Thorin moved so he could sit down next to her head, smiling softly.

“Yes?” He asked.

“The bag, there was a bag,” She said as if she was looking for it.

“Yes, it’s over there,” Thorin nodded to where he had thrown the bag in the spur of the moment, not caring for its contents.

“Well go get it,” Rosie said as if it were obvious. Shaking his head slightly Thorin got up and retrieved the brown bag hearing the clink of metal from within. He took it to Rosie and showed to her. “Well open it,” She rolled her eyes and sat up. Thorin did as he was told and almost couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Weapons, the weapons of the dwarves, _their weapons_. He began excitedly pulling things out and tossing them to their rightful owners, the company cheering again with glee. When all the arms had been handed out he took out his own elvish sword before smiling fondly at Rosie.

“Thank you, Rosanna,” He said softly as he ran a finger over the hilt of his sword.

“Don’t mention it,” Rosie rolled her eyes, understanding that she would probably never get Thorin to change his mind about her name. The company began going through what they had and what they didn’t have when Frankie was pulled aside by Kili.

“What’s up?” She smiled at him.

“I’d just like to say thank you, I’m guessing you probably saved my life out there,” He said softly, looking at Frankie with pure gratitude.

“No problem, and yes and no,” Frankie winked and turned to go before remembering, “Did you meet Tauriel?” She asked, feigning excitement. Kili looked flustered for a moment and Frankie felt her heart fall slightly.

“Yes…” He said as if he didn’t have the right words to say anything else. Frankie felt sick.

“And?” She questioned.

“She’s nice, but…” Kili trailed off thinking.

“What?” Frankie raised an eyebrow, what could possibly be wrong with Tauriel, she was so strong and courageous, she was full of knowledge and adventure, she was perfect for Kili.

“Nothing,” He said shaking his head and smiling, Frankie had the urge to rip the look off his face.

“Okay,” She said curtly and nodding. “Oh, and thank you,”

“What for?” He asked.

“When you pulled me down in the barrel, thanks,” She smiled, Kili nodded before he turned to go and Frankie noticed him wince as he moved. “Are you okay?” She asked, her fear that she didn’t actually save him from the orc arrow kicking in.

“Yeah, yeah, just bumps and bruises,” Kili nodded and turned again to walk away. Frankie watched him as he went. He was right, they had just fallen down a stream in wooden barrels, of course, he’s not going to feel the best he ever had been. Frankie looked after him again and wondered, _then why does it feel like he just lied to me?_

* * *

The company was taking advantage of this moment to let their bodies have a rest, after the exhausting battle they just took part in, it was obvious that they needed it. Cece had gone around and had asked and asked again if anyone had been hit by any of the orcs spears, she didn’t explain that the ends of the orcs weapons had been lathered with poison, it didn’t seem necessary.

However, none of the dwarves said that they had been hit, and none of them showed any signs of being hit. _I think we’re okay_. After Cece finished her rounds she made her way over to Frankie who was carving a new arrow out of wood, her tongue poking out between her lips in concentration.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Cece said, she sat down next to her friend on the rocks, Rosie was not too far away, glaring at Oin with a frustrated glare as he insisted to look her over.

“Hey,” Frankie murmured in response, completely focused on the project in her hands.

“Mind if I question you on some stuff,” Cece asked leaning back against the rocks and sighing, happy to be off her feet.

“Go for it,” Frankie nodded, still not paying Cece 100% attention.

“I was wondering what your plan was, you know, back there,” Cece asked staring intently at her friend before nodding to the water which they had come from.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, what the hell were you thinking,” Cece said abruptly, Frankie put down the arrow in her hands and looked over at her friend, she shook her head slightly. “Well?” Cece questioned further. She felt as if her friend did not understand the full danger of what she did, she was out here, alone. She could have been killed by orcs, she could have starved to death, yet she chose to stay out here, she made that decision.

“When I had the opportunity to either go with you lot or to stay I our here, I chose what I thought was best,” Frankie began to explain, turning more to her friend, “My initial idea was to use this as an advantage point to A) save Kili from Bolg and B) Possibly kill a few orcs in the process,” Frankie said.

“That’s not a good enough- “

“I’m not done.” Frankie cut her off, “When I pushed Rosie off the branch we both were on, I realized something else, whilst you lot would be in there,” Frankie nodded to the direction they had come from, “I could get on with what happens next,” Frankie said suggestively. Cece furrowed her eyebrows.

“But that still doesn’t make sense- “

“Frankie!” This voice was a foreign one, it came from above the pile of rocks both Frankie and Cece were both sitting on. The company pulled out their weapons ready for an attack as a figure climbed up onto the pile of stone, the light illuminating its silhouette.

“Bard!” Frankie called back, a smile on her face. And the penny dropped in Cece’s mind.

“You held yourself to your promise,” Bard noted as he climbed down the pile of rocks ignoring the dwarf’s raised weapons.

“Wouldn’t dare to do anything else,” Frankie smiled as she and Bard gave a half-hug sort of action clearly showing that they had met before. Frankie then turned to both of her dumb-founded friends with a grin.

“Cece, Rosie, you know Bard,” Frankie winked.

“I don’t believe we’ve quite met before,” Rosie said curtly as she eyes Bard up and down. He was dressed just like the movies, a spitting image of Luke Evans, she let her eyes dangle over his outfit and the body that was filling it.

"No, I don't think we have," Cece agreed an impressed note in her voice.

"And who might you be?" Thorin growled from where he stood, sword raised.

"My name is Bard," Bard responded not caring for Thorin's angry tone, "Frankie here met with me the day before yesterday and told me that she had some friends who needed some help,"

"We don't need your help," Thorin said with finality, not lowering his sword.

"Um, yes you do," Cece said, _why is he acting like this?_ _Oh yeah...it's Thorin._ There was a pause.

"How will you help us?" Thorin asked, still wary.

 "Well Frankie asked me to take you into Laketown, that I can do," Bard nodded, "Unseen." He added. This grabbed the dwarf's attention. No one said anything for a moment and then the dwarves grouped together in a huddle and began rapidly discussing what they were going to do whilst Cece, Frankie, Rosie and Bard stood and watched.

 "Fine," Thorin spoke up turning around.

"Of course, I will need to be paid," Bard said simply, Thorin's body tensed.

"And you will," He said, head cocked to the side, "If you take us over the lake and into Laketown safely and unseen." Bard paused but nodded.

"Great!" Cece clapped her hands together, "Let's go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally know how to use this website <3


	29. Laketown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -Sneaking into Laketown  
> -Cute Fili/Cece, Thorin/Rosie moment

The company carried the barrels they had spare through to where Bard had docked his boat.

"Alright boys, listen up!" Frankie called clapping her hands together, "The plan is that we will go on this boat into Laketown, when we get to a certain point we will pay Bard before we climb inside the empty barrels and Bard will fill them up with dead fish-"

"If you think for one second that I-" Dwalin started but was cut off by Kili.

"Let's hear them out," Kili said to Dwalin before turning back to where Frankie, Rosie and Cece stood.

"Thank you, Kili. As I was saying, Bard will fill up the barrels with fish which means we will be able to go into Laketown unseen. From there we will have to sneak into Bard's home since it is being watched," Frankie explained, she got mixed reactions from the group but they all agreed to follow along with the plan.

"Okay let's go," Rosie smiled and began ushering members of the company onto the boat, Cece was going to follow when she felt a strong hand softly tug her own, she turned and came face to face with Fili.

"What is it?" She asked, her heart racing faster than usual.

"Just...don't forget what you promised me," He said never breaking eye contact, Cece was confused for a moment and then remembered what he was talking about.

"When we get to Laketown, there will be time to talk there," She nodded, "I haven't forgotten," She said low before turning and heading to the boat. Cece didn't know how she felt about telling Fili the whole story, everything that was supposed to happen in the past and future. She knew she was going to tell him even if she strongly disagreed with it, Fili deserved to know and she had made a promise. But what about Rosie and Frankie? How will they feel? Cece sighed and watched as they pulled away from the land, moving softly over the calm waters.

The journey was no problem, the company sat shivering with the little clothing they had and waited for the time to come where they would have to clamber into the barrels. It was unusually quiet, it appeared that no one had anything to say. When the time came the company paid Bard, even Nori and they climbed into the barrels, there was luckily enough for everyone.

"I'm seriously not looking forward to this," Frankie muttered from inside her barrel, Bard was currently discussing with a local fisherman leaving the company alone.

"Yeah, not really something on my bucket list," Rosie grunted from her own barrel.

"Can you two be quiet?" Came the rumbling voice of Thorin.

"We can, but currently we are choosing not to," Frankie sassily replied, you could almost hear Thorin roll his eyes. "Besides," Frankie continued, "It won't be that bad-" Just then a large pile of pungent, dead fish was poured on top of the company. There was silence for a few moments.

"You were saying?" came the muffled voice of Rosie followed by a chuckle from a few barrels down. The compressing weight of the fish and smell was hard to stay silent in, but if you so much as made a squeak your barrel would get a rough kick from Bard. Anyways, it wasn't too long before they felt the boat come to a stop and the muffled voice of Bard and a stranger. It was hard to hear what exact words were being said but soon friendly words turned harsh as a new voice was introduced.

There were a few more exchanged words before footsteps on the boat could be heard and Dwalin and Nori found their barrels being tipped on their side and the layer of fish above their heads slithering away. Then, the tilting stopped and they were pushed back upright once more and soon the boat was back on its course of moving forward. _It worked_ Cece thought as their boat once again came to a stop.

"Get out," Came the hiss of Bard's voice as he tipped a few of the barrels over sending a few dwarves and Frankie sprawling out on the floor. Everyone else managed to clamber out of their barrels themselves and soon they were being led away from the boat and onto the wooden paths of Laketown. Bard led them through buildings and back alleys until they were approached by a young boy who held many of Bard's features.

"Da!" He called as he ran up to them, "The house is being watched," He said to his father not really looking at the company.

"I know, go back, we will not be far behind," Bard nodded at his son before turning to the dwarves, "Stay close!" He called before moving through the dwarves and leading them another way. The company shrugged but followed.

"What is this place?" Bilbo asked as he looked up and around at the people bustling around.

"This master Baggins is the world of men," Thorin growled moving past Bilbo.

"Why did you say it like that?" Rosie asked an eyebrow raised at Thorin, "Do you not like my species?" She asked like she was testing him. Thorin looked flustered for a moment and began trying to make a sentence but kept failing halfway through.

"Come on!" Bard turned around and hissed at them, "We have no time to lose. Head's down, keep moving" And with that, the company moved forward into the bustling market of the men and women. Bard stood in the middle of the aisle and ushered the dwarves across, keeping an eye out for anyone who could be potentially unfriendly. Unfortunately, it was at this time that a guard was standing watch and just so happened to have caught sight of the 17 rather small people making their way to the main market.

"Halt!" The guard cried, "In the name of the master of Laketown I said halt! _Halt!_ Stop them!" The guard continued to cry as he ran after the company who were running away.

"Come on!" Thorin cried and ran around a corner where they came face to face with another guard.

"Oi! Come here!" This new guard cried causing Thorin (who was leading the company) to stop in his tracks, everyone behind him crashing into one another. More and more guards began to appear and the company had no other choice but to fight them. Instead of using their weapons they simply used what was around them (planks, spades, ores), it was smart since it wouldn't allow the wounds on the guards to link to their weapons. It wasn't soon before all the guards had been taken down but now they had a larger problem.

"What's going on 'ere," Came a voice, Rosie peeked around the wooden pole she was sat against and saw a guard who looked slightly different with his clothing. _Must be the captain_ she thought before she looked up and made eye contact with Thorin. "Stay where you are, nobody leaves!" The captain called as he walked through the market, a silence now resting upon everyone. Cece, from where she was lying flat on the floor, looked up and made eye contact with Bard who nodded at her before he began strolling towards the captain.

"Rider!" He said cheerily to the captain, acting ignorant to what had just happened.

"You," The captain growled, "What are you up to Bard?" _Wow, these guards really hate Bard don't they._

"Me?" Bard replied, "Nothing, I'm looking for nothing," He said calmly and innocently. Frankie watched as a lady selling plants in pots 'accidentally' pushed one over so it landed on the head of a guard who was waking up. the captain hearing this pushed past Bard to where the unconscious guards were now lying but from his perspective, all he could see was a calm marketplace. "Hey Rider," Bard called and the girls turned to Bard who was now holding up some 'lingerie'. "Your wife would look lovely in this," He commented looking down at the material he held in his hands.

"What do you know of my wife?" Rider responded stepping forward.

"Well, I know her as well as any man in this town," Bard said nonchalantly. Frankie then turned to Rosie and made a face as if she was screaming whilst mouthing 'BURN' and Rosie found herself stifling laughter. Rider then angrily grabbed the material out of Bard's hands and pushed past Bard and stomped away, his guards following him. When they were sure the guards were gone the company stood up.

"Damn Bard that was savage," Rosie said whilst Bard simply cocked his head to the side, confused.

"You'll get used to it," Bofur nodded, the girls now taking a turn to look confused. The company again followed Bard to a certain point until they came to a small secluded area at the back of a house.

"The building opposite is mine, you are going to have to swim under the water and into the small area there, unfortunately, you’re going to have to enter my house through our sewage system," Bard said wincing.

_"Brill_ ," Rosie nodded.

"Okay I will enter my house as a distraction for the guards who are keeping watch and when I am doing that, you go," Bard said and then without another word he turned and walked away. The company paused and waited until they could see Bard going into his house, none of them particularly happy that they were going to have to enter through the sewage system. When they saw Bard enter his home Dwalin dived into and so on and so forth. Fili, Kili and Thorin insisted that they were to go last with Rosie, Frankie and Cece going just before them.

Rosie dived in into the dark, icy water and kept far below the surface. Not too far ahead of her she saw could make out the form of Frankie and swam after her. She kept low under until the light that was above her was blotted out from where the wooden home of Bard now covered her. She watched as Frankie moved up towards a light which was piercing the dark water, illuminating Frankie's features. Frankie moved upwards until she disappeared above the crust of the water, Rosie then followed. She felt herself break the barrier of the water and found that she could breathe again as she was helped out of the wooden box by young Bain.

"Thank you," She smiled honestly at Bain before scurrying up the stairs and into the warm home of Bard, dripping wet. As soon as she stepped into the main room a blanket was pushed into her hands by a girl around her age and again held many features similar to Bard. "Thank you," She smiled warmly at the daughter. "How old are you?" She smiled at the daughter, her curiosity getting the better of her, she then wrapped the dry blanket around her shoulders and instantly felt warmer.

"Sixteen miss," The young girl said softly before turning away and helping those who had just entered the room. _A little younger then_ Rosie thought.

"What about you?" Ori asked her from where he was sitting in front of the fireplace, warming up his feet.

"Pardon?" Rosie asked as she sat down on the carpet, relaxing her back against a wall.

"How old are you?" Ori asked another warm glow in his cheeks.

"Well, what's the date?" She asked, shivering.

"Early November I'm thinking," Balin nodded from where he was sitting.

" _Oh my god_ ," Came a gasp from Frankie, "I missed my birthday!" She sighed as she huffed and sat down in an armchair.

"How old were you turning?"

"19," She muttered, the dwarf's gasped.

"19!" Someone cried.

"You're still a wee baby!" Someone else called.

"Too young! _Too young_!" The girls watched as the dwarf's cried out about this and that, dwarves lived on average for 250 years so being 19 or 18 might be a little shock.

"We're humans remember," Cece reasoned.

"Still..." Fili muttered from where he was sitting.

"Well, how old are you?" Cece asked turning to him.

"82," He said calmly and the girls simply sat there and stared at them.

"No..." Rosie said in a low voice. "You're too cute," She said shocked.

"I don't believe you!" Frankie cried.

"I'm 165," Thorin commented as if it meant nothing more.

"WHAT!" Rosie cried. There was silence for a moment, "This is weird."

"No, it's not," Thorin said to Rosie with a raised an eyebrow but a smile was on his face.

"Whatever," Rosie smiled and turned to the fire. Cece looked down at her friend and this group of idiots which surrounded her and felt a warmth spread through her chest, they were truly a family. She looked around everyone and soon made eye contact with Fili, there was a pause as they looked at each other and Cece felt her heart elevate. It was now more clear than ever that she felt differently towards this dwarf, his dimpled smile was enough to fill her stomach with butterflies and her heart with hope. They held eye contact for a moment and then he nodded towards a balcony where outside where darkness was falling, Cece understood.

It was time to tell the truth.

* * *

By the time everyone had finished going about their business for settling into Bard’s home, the night now pulsed black and you could no longer make out figures and features without the light of a lamp. Fili, without saying anything, had wandered out onto the balcony and Cece had followed shortly after, unnoticed by the company. Walking out, Cece found Fili leant over the bannister gazing up at the blurry form of the lonely mountain. Without saying anything, Cece joined him, a cool breeze blowing her hair out of her face.

“It’s beautiful,” She wondered aloud, her voice dreamy and light. Fili closed his eyes and felt her presence, only she would look at Erebor and not see riches, wealth or power, but instead beauty. He opened his eyes again and looked at the silhouette of the lonely mountain against the dark sky, it drew him in, pulsed with something he felt deep in his heart, he couldn’t wait to step inside the halls and be home. “Don’t you think?” Cece smiled and looked over to Fili who stared at the mountain with misty eyes.

“Yes,” He breathed and Cece had the urge to reach over and embrace him and tell him it was all going to be okay, and the ironic thing was that she was just about to tell him that it wasn’t.

“Do you want to go on the roof?” She asked with a small smile, Fili turned to her and nodded and together they clambered up onto the roof, helping each other. They sat close to each other, the cool air was enough to send shivers down their spines so each other’s body heat was enough to keep them warm. They stayed like that for a while, simply enjoying the view and the moment.

“Shall we begin?” Fili asked and Cece felt her heart drop.

“I guess,” She said, sitting up straighter. “But you must understand,” She said turning to Fili and staring at him tenderly, “What I’m going to tell you, is a story in a world where I don’t exist, where you don’t have me, or Rosie, or Frankie. But here, right now, you have me. Just, please remember that,” She said unsure of how he would take it.

“I understand, and please, don’t hold back. _Tell me everything_ …right from the beginning,” Fili said, returning her gaze.

“Okay, well. It began with the gathering at Bilbo’s house in Hobbiton…” Cece said, diving into the story she knew so well. As she wove her way through the story Fili sat there, not looking at Cece but hanging onto her every word, he listened intently being sure of what was to happen if he didn’t have the three girls. Cece explained about Thranduil and how he was important later and that’s why Rosie went to go speak with him in Mirkwood. But when Cece came to their escape from Mirkwood she found herself choking up. “…and when Kili went to go pull down the lever he was hit in the leg by an arrow from Bolg. But see, the thing is, the arrow was poisonous and led Kili’s health to spiral very very far down,” Cece explained.

“Death?” Fili whispered, his heart breaking at the idea of his own baby brother dying at the hands of an orc.

“Not quite,” Cece breathed. She continued with the story until she got to Laketown. She then realized that this was it, she was going into new territory, this is where it began. Taking a deep breath, Cece continued. She explained how citizens Laketown found out about them and their quest, how Thorin refused to let Kili go because he was wounded and how Fili stayed back to be with his brother (Cece noticed a smile forming on the lips of Fili at this), entering the mountain, Smaug waking, burning of Laketown, Smaug’s death, she got this far until Fili interrupted.

“So, we win? Smaug dies, Erebor reclaimed,” He said happily.

“Fili…” Cece breathed, “That’s not the end…” A frown fell on Fili’s face and Cece went back into the story. She explained how Thranduil was to go to war over the gems (she also explained Rosie’s deal with Thranduil about this), she told him of the men of Laketown and how Thorin fell into a deep gold sickness, she told him about the orc army and the dwarves of the iron hills joined them in battle. How Thorin took Dwalin, Fili and Kili up to where Azog was stationed, how Thorin told Fili and Kili to go scout out the area, and this is where she found the words hard to say, almost as if they didn't want to be spoken aloud. “But um…it wasn’t what it seemed, it was a trap, and Thorin realized this and sent Dwalin to call you back but it was too late,”

“What?” Fili asked fear piercing his voice, “Kili, no, Kili did he- “

“No, Fili,” She said moving her hand over to his, “You,” Was all she could manage, now haunted by her own thoughts of Fili dying.

“ _Me_?” He said as if he didn’t believe it.

“Yes, first you…and your body lands before Kili,” This caused Fili to pull away from Cece, turning to put his head in his hands, “Then Kili goes on a hunt, he meets Tauriel on the way but unfortunately, he too…falls,” Cece whispered, so agonized by the fact that she was causing Fili so much pain. “And then Azog takes down Thorin and fulfils his promise to wipe out the line of Durin, and the crown falls to Dain,” She said with finality, feeling emotional herself. Fili stayed silent for a while, an excruciating while and Cece found that she had nothing to say. There was nothing to say, the sad fact was, she just told the truth, and there is nothing more insufferable than the truth.

Cece found herself wanting to leave and stay with Fili at the same time. Wanting to leave him and let him think over what she just told him yet stay with him and hold him, tell him that she was here and that she was going to change it, she was going to make it better. The silence drew on and Cece now really was thinking of slipping off the roof and leaving Fili when he spoke up.

“No…” He murmured, the word lose on his lips.

“What?” Cece asked.

“No,” He said softly. “I’m not going to let that happen. I’m not going to…” He trailed off.

“I understand,” Cece said, and she truly did.

“That’s not going to happen,” Fili continued, sitting up straighter, “You know why? Because we have you,” He said taking Cece’s hand in his own, “We have you and Frankie and Rosie and you have all saved us from so much danger and together we’re going to save everyone."

“Together?” Cece asked, looking down at their joined hands.

“Yes. You’ve told me now, which means now when you make plans with Rosie and Frankie, you can include me,”

“I don’t know,” Cece sighed not thinking that this was the best idea.

“It could be useful. I’m heir to the throne, I’m the older brother, I’m the nephew,” He paused, “I’m the one that dies first,” He said, putting on a convincing brave face. This pierced the heart of Cece and once again lit a flame inside her that looked as if it would never perish.

“ _You’re not going to die_.” Cece said with confidence in her voice, “You know why? Because I won’t let you. I don’t care if it’s fate, I don’t care if it’s destiny or even written in the stars. You’re not going to die,” She said, taking Fili’s own hands and pressing them to her forehead and then to her lips.

“I don’t want to die,” He said and Cece looked up at met his chilling, blue eyes, “I’ve got too much to live for,” He smiled softly at her. Cece felt her heart hammering again in her chest, but it wasn’t unpleasant. A warmth once again spread through her and filled even her numb fingertips with the most electric feeling, her hairs stood on end and her body thrummed with delight. She felt her body slowly begin to shake, but she liked it. She moved closer. There was something in the air, something which turned her light-headed and made the breath leave her body, it seemed to empty Cece’s head and leave only a blank canvas. Their heads moved towards each other. Moonlight pooled for a second over Laketown and illuminated Fili’s features, his strong jaw, his thick beard, his icy eyes, all of which Cece wanted to run her hands over, to touch, to feel, to _love_.

And then their lips brushed and the skies and the starlight didn’t matter anymore because they were there and they were _alive_. And the only thing that mattered was this moment, this breathless, divine moment. They reached out for one another and found each other there, they discovered each other in a way they never had before. Their hands moved and touched and felt. The world was a place which was far, far behind them and they were in a land where dreams flowered and hope bloomed, and for one heavenly moment, everything was bliss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you think I could improve on anything?


	30. A Truth Revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -Frankie/Kili

Back in Mirkwood, Tauriel and Legolas were standing with the foul orc at their feet, their king wandering around them, staring down the filth that dared to even breathe. Legolas had his blade pressed firmly against the orc's throat prepared to at any moment, rip his head from his body. Thandruil made his speech.

“…in time, all foul things come forth,” He finished standing behind his son and watching carefully.

“You were tracking the company of 13 dwarves and 3 women, why?” Legolas asked, pressing his blade firmer against the orc’s throat.

“Not thirteen... _not anymore_ ,” He snarled, “The young one, the dark-haired archer, we stuck him with a morgal shaft,” The orc continued now glaring at Tauriel who stood only paces behind. “Poisons in his blood, chocking on it soon…but that’s what you get don’t you,” The orc continued, “When you protect pretty little things,”

“The dark-haired archer was saved,” Tauriel spat at the filth, “You laid no finger on him,” She growled the orc simply smiled a grim smile.

“In the water…” He said slowly and Tauriel’s face harden, “Wooden barrels only do so much!” He then cried throwing his head back. Without saying anything Tauriel came in close to his face, dagger in hand, no words left her lips as she prepared to end the orcs life.

“ _Tauriel! Enough! Go now!”_ Thranduil called out in elvish. Tauriel pulled back her rage and fear tremoring through her, she gave Legolas a look before she turned and walked past him, a plan forming in her head.

Tauriel continued to walk, further and further away from the king and his son, her heart ached with the fear of the merry little dwarf lying in pain, his own body turning against him. The more and more she thought about it, the harder it was to stay in the palace walls, she needed to get out, she needed to kill something. Tauriel simply walked past the guards of the main gate, making no explanation of where or why she was going, she hoped they would understand. Thankfully, they didn't even look at her as she passed, she had known these elven guards for a long time, they would understand.

Tauriel skipped off the main path and began making her way through the trees that she knew so well, hoping beyond all hope that the dwarves hadn’t got so far, she needed to help them. She took shortcuts that the prince himself had shown her many moons ago and soon found herself standing on an overlook of the lake, where not too far away Laketown could be seen. She felt a presence behind her she swivelled around and drew her bow only to become face to face with the blonde prince, bow.

“ _I thought you were an orc_ ,” She sighed with relief and lowered her bow.

“ _If I were an orc, you would already be dead_ ,” Legolas simply stated. “ _Father wants you back at the palace_ ,” He said as if he already knew the answer.

“ _I cannot go_ ,” She said sadly and turned back to the river, there was a pause from Legolas.

“ _Are we tracking down the company then_?” He asked causing Tauriel to twist around and stare at him in shock, he gave her a knowing look. “ _I know your heart Tauriel…and I know where it lies_ ,” He said sadly, but the idea of seeing the small girl again made him feel better.

“ _I only wish to save the dwarf_ ,” She said.

“ _Is that all_?” Legolas said suggestively and Tauriel felt heat rise in her cheeks.

“ _Let’s go_ ,” She simply muttered and moved forward. Legolas nodded and followed her, turning his back on his father’s orders.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Laketown, Kili was doing his best to cover up the fact that an orc arrow had pierced his side. It was only a small nick and should have healed within a few days, but the wound grew black and blue and appeared to be infected. He knew he should speak up about it, but the girls had made such a big deal about getting hit that he was afraid it would make him seem weak. Because of this, he had taken to caring for the wound himself whilst avoiding the three girls and the rest of the company. However, he soon realized that he could not hide from them forever when Frankie came knocking on his door.

“Hey Kili,” Came the muffled voice of Frankie after a knock. Kili looked down at where he was lying in bed, he could feel that his face was pale and his hair was entangled with sweat. Hopefully, he could just pull it off as lack of sleep.

“Come in,” He called after re-arranging the sheet so he looked more presentable.

“Hey, Kili, sorry to bother you but, oh-“Frankie said as she came in and found Kili sitting in his bed stripped down to his underlayer of clothes.

“Yes?” Kili asked nonchalantly as if nothing were wrong.

“Just wanted to see if you were okay that’s all. You’ve been awfully quiet since we reached Laketown,” Frankie mumbled as she sat on the end half of Killi’s bed propping herself up against the wall. This action seemed normal to Frankie but appeared to be very intimate to Kili, he felt himself gulp.

“Yes, yes. I just believe the lack of sleep and poor amount of food has caught up with me is all,” Kili shrugged off and took this moment to gaze upon the true beauty of Frankie. He had never truly seen a woman with dark skin, they were rare and beautiful occurrences in Middle Earth, but from what he had heard of Frankie’s world, her skin was not celebrated but shunned.

“Hmm,” Frankie hummed, her eyes closed as a late stream of sun fell through the window and upon her face. “You look pale,” She said without opening her eyes, Kili felt a twisting in his gut.

“It’s nothing,” Was all he could say.

“Hmm,” Frankie hummed again. “Because,” She started shifting in her position, opening her eyes and looking at Kili, “If there was, in fact, something wrong, then you would tell me, right?” Frankie said and Kili couldn’t help but get the feeling that he was being tested.

“Of course, you would be the first person that I would tell,” He said, the words tasting bitter in his mouth.

“Good,” Frankie smiled and leant back against the wall, this time looking through the open window. They were silent for a moment, enjoying each other presence. “Oh!” Frankie then cried and dived into her pocket and retrieved a small dark stone with runes carved into it. “Here’s your stone, I kept on forgetting to give it back to you,” She smiled and held it out towards Kili, “You’ll be glad to know I found it rather helpful for when things got too stressful,” She smiled, Kili simply looked at the stone that he had been carrying for the past few months.

“Keep it,” He simply said realizing that deep down, he wanted Frankie to have it, Frankie’s eyes went slightly larger.

“No, it’s okay, really, I’m telling you, I don’t need it,” She said still holding the stone out to him.

“And I’m telling you to keep it,” He smiled before leaning back in his bed, a pain shooting through his side which he covered up very well.

“I can’t,” Frankie whispered after a few moments.

“Why not?” Kili asked confused, had he offended her?

“It’s not mine to keep. You need to give it to…” She trailed off, “Never mind,” She mumbled and slipped the stone back in her pocket. Kili knew what she was about to say and for some reason, a wave of anger washed over him.

“I need to give it to Tauriel?” He said an edge in his voice. Frankie’s eyes snapped up to his. “You keep on mentioning her whenever we talk, I don’t think we’ve had a full conversation since Mirkwood where you haven’t brought her up,” Kili started feeling his emotions fall free. “You have this idea somehow planted in your mind that I love Tauriel. And this idea is doing nothing but growing and growing and it is stopping you from actually seeing that I do not like her in that way,” He said earnestly, leaning forward and catching Frankie’s chocolate eyes.

“But…” She trailed off.

“But _what_?” Kili continued. “I should fall in love with her because in a story you read once it says that. _So what_? Tauriel is a very beautiful elf and to be perfectly honest I could see myself falling for someone like her. But that would be a story where I didn’t have…” Kili trailed off now realizing that he was about to say something rather personal out loud. A new silence rested upon the two.

“It’s fine,” Frankie said smiling softly at Kili, Kili looked up at her. “It’s fine that you don’t like her. And I’m sorry that I may have pressured you to feel a certain way,” She said and stood to leave. “I think you just have to... follow your heart,” She smiled. The silence returned but it wasn’t unpleasant.

“You have the most beautiful skin,” Kili blurted in attempt to start a new conversation.

“Pardon?” Frankie smiled, a laugh in her voice.

“You skin,” Kili smiled shyly, “You look like a goddess who shouldn’t be walking among human folk,” Frankie stared starrily eyed at the dwarf in front of her, Kili not knowing what to do plundered on, “My mother saw a man with beautiful, brown skin once. She leant down and whispered in my ear that it is a blessing to have skin the colour of soil…that so often flowers confuse you for home,” Kili sighed at the happy thought, Frankie’s heart shuddered, “It’s funny that that is my first memory, and now…” He trailed off, something in the air moving a little faster.

“ _Thank you_ ,” Frankie whispered, feeling as though she connected with Kili on a deeper level, he simply declined his head in response and tried peering out the window. All the while Frankie fingered the stone in her pocket, turning and letting the sun seep like gold into her skin, the whispers of her own mother humming in her ear. Her mother was bold and brave, she would have run middle earth as if it was her own kingdom. She found a voice in the rhythm of poetry and that's they way Frankie had seen things, through muddling metaphors and words that seem like long lost lovers, perfect for each other in every way.

Frankie hummed as she thought of home and found herself asking if she would ever find a new one.

 

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vu2BsePvoI>

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm ill because of my injections but that means I now have the full day to write <3
> 
> This chapter is based of a poem in Rupi Kaur's book the sun and her flowers, Frankie's mother was inspired by a poet called Dominique Christiana, more specifically the video of a poem at the end of the chapter, please take some time to watch this video, it's amazing and I see a lot of Frankie in her.


	31. I See Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> \- I see fire- Ed Sheeren  
> \- Cute company bonding  
> \- Preparing for what is going to come next...

Frankie left Kili’s room, a smile lazily drawn on her face. She continued along one of the wooden hallways where she came face to face with a familiar door, stepping inside she found her two best friends sitting on the floor chatting happily.

“Frankie,” Cece smiled up at her friend.

“How’s Kili?” Rosie waggled her eyebrows, Frankie felt her smile widen without thinking about it.

“He’s…good,” Frankie said, smiling to herself before joining her friends and lying down on the floor.

“Just good?” Cece chortled leaning closer to her friend.

“I thought he was _brilliant_ ,” Rosie said mocking Frankie’s words.

“He is,” Frankie smiled as she watched the warm sunlight strengthen along the walls, illuminating even the darkest corners.

“I think someone has a little crush,” Cece hummed happily.

“I think it’s more than a crush,” Rosie chuckled and stretched her legs out, Frankie simply continued to smile lazily at the ceiling.

“It is _looove_?” Cece said clambering over her friend so she would look her in the eye.

“Piss off,” Frankie mumbled, smiling as she pushed her friend off her. “Anyways,” She said sitting up, “I don’t think I’m the only one,” She then took her turn to waggle her eyebrows, smirking at Cece whose cheeks darkened.

“What? Wait…what?” Rosie asked looking in-between her two friends, neither Cece or Frankie spoke up. “What are you talking about?” Rosie asked looking at Frankie.

“I’m just saying, I don’t think I’m the only one to get friendly with a dwarf prince is all,” Frankie said, never removing her gaze from Cece.

“So, you admit there’s something between you and Kili,” Rosie cried happily, missing the point.

“Fine, yeah, whatever, he’s cute,” Frankie rolled her eyes, “But Cece probably understands how I feel,” Frankie suggested, for a moment Rosie’s eyebrows furrowed as she glanced between her two friends, then realization slapped her in the face.

“CECE AND FI- “She cried before Cece leapt over to her and slapped a hand on her mouth. Frankie tipped her head back, a trickle of laughter escaping her lips.

“Okay fine, yeah whatever," Cece huffed as she removed her hands from Rosie’s mouth.

“So, you and Fili,” She smiled and then turned to Frankie, “And you and Kili.”

“Well, Kili and I haven’t done anything yet whereas Cece and Fili…” Frankie trailed off as Cece’s cheeks turned beetroot red.

“How do you even know this?” Cece asked, bewildered.

“Please, Cece, you’re my best friend, if anything is going on with you I’d be the first to know,” Frankie said nonchalantly. “Plus, I saw you two making out on the balcony one time,” She smiled, Cece simply gasped and grabbed a pillow and began beating her friend with it.

“You, little, bugger!” Cece called through hits.

“It’s not my fault you choose to do so much PDA!” Frankie laughed as Rosie began trying to pull the pillow out of Cece’s hands. Due to their laughter, the girls almost missed Thorin’s voice calling them into the main room. Sighing, the girls got up and made their way downstairs wondering what Thorin could want now.

“Good afternoon,” Thorin nodded at them as they walked in, looking around they could see the whole company was squashed around the fire.

“Meeting?” Rosie asked and Thorin nodded back at her. The three girls sat down on the floor and looked up at where Thorin was standing.

“We have made it to Lake Town and less than a week away, Durin’s day will fall,” Thorin began. “We need to leave as soon as possible and by that, I mean tomorrow night,”

“Tomorrow!” Cece called, that seemed too soon.

“Is there a problem?” Thorin asked honestly.

“Just…are we prepared?” Cece said realizing that her outburst wasn’t necessary, “I mean we are about to fight a dragon,”

“Speaking of which, would you care to share any information of how we kill the beast?” Thorin asked. The girls glanced between themselves, they had already planned this. Cece stood up.

“Okay, listen up boys because this information could just about save your life,” She said, as she was standing she caught eyes with Fili who nodded at her in return, “When we get up there we will have to wait for the last light of Durin’s day to shine upon the keyhole, however, it’s not talking about the last sunlight it’s talking about the last moonlight,” A wave of understanding rippled through the group. “Now, what’s supposed to happen is that Bilbo goes down there and wakes Smaug, but that’s okay, because the sooner we kill the beast, the sooner we can look for the Arkenstone. I mean we can all agree that it would be a lot easier looking for this stone when we're not creeping around a sleeping dragon,"

After Cece said this Rosie glanced up at Thorin who was staring out a window and up at the lonely mountain, something flashed in his eyes at the mention of the Arkenstone and Rosie felt her own chest squeeze. She still believed it to be too soon to tell whether Thorin had fallen for the gold sickness, she had faith in him to pull through. But when would that faith not be enough?

“So,” Cece continued, “The person to kill Smaug would be you, Bard,” Cece said turning to the door where a figure loomed that no one realized was there. This caused a slight uproar from the dwarf’s but Frankie shut them up rather quickly.

“If it wasn’t for him, most of you and Laketown would be burned to a crisp!” Frankie called over the noise which died down after that.

“Bard,” Cece continued.

“Yes,” He said confidently, stepping into the room.

“You’re coming with us,” Cece said, this again caused an uproar but one look from Frankie shut them up.

“I can’t,” Bard began, “I can’t leave my children,”

“Bard, by doing this, you’re going to save them, and all the other people of this town,” Cece said sadly.

“Does that not count for something?” Rosie asked from where she was sitting, Bard looked torn.

“Fine,” He said after a moment of stony silence. “I will come,”

“You’ll need that black arrow mind,” Frankie noted this caused excited whispers to flourish in the room.

“There’s an arrow left,” Ori said, thrilled.

“And there’s a missing scale,” Rosie smiled, standing up.

“We can kill the beast,” Kili said happily clapping his brother (who already knew of all this) on the back.

“We can reclaim our homeland,” Thorin stated, still staring at the mountains, a mist in his eyes. A quiet cheer echoed through the room as the company rejoiced in the happy news, hope once again piercing the hearts of everyone in that room, now stronger than ever. The company dissolved into chatter about killing techniques and what they could do once inside the mountain whilst Cece talked to Bard about where he would need to be positioned to kill Smaug.

“You’ll need to be little ways off Erebor, there is a moment where Smaug will leave the mountain and head for Lake Town, in this moment, you need to kill it,” Cece explained, Bard nodded and they began to discuss it in more detail. Frankie made her way over to Kili and Rosie sat with Ori, Dori and Nori listening to their excitement.

“I can’t believe it’s truly happening,” Ori exclaimed with glee, Rosie couldn’t help but giggle. “A chance to be…home,” He said happily, lost in his thoughts. “When it’s reclaimed the people will come back and there will be a giant feast, people will sing again!” He cried his happiness bubbling over.

“Ori! You are so sweet,” Rosie laughed and Ori beamed back, “Do you think you could sing me one of the songs you talk about,” She said happily, Ori turned shy.

“Well-I mean-I’m not-well-the best you see-and…” He trailed off heat once again rising to his cheeks, Rosie then felt bad for putting him in the spotlight.

“Ah, it’s okay Ori,” She smiled, then an idea popped into her head, “Do you know, where I come from, there’s a song about you, this story I mean,” She nodded, Ori’s eyes went wide.

“Really,” He gasped.

“Yes, it was used in the movie- “Rosie began and then saw Ori’s confused face, “Never mind." Even though the dwarves had happily picked up on mobile phones and had begun to understand the internet, movies remained a mystery.

“What was it called?” Ori asked. Rosie then realized that the majority of the group had quietened down and were staring and where they sat, even Thorin.

“I see fire,” Rosie mumbled, a stony silence.

“Sing it for me,” Ori smiled up at Rosie and Rosie felt some heat rise in her cheeks.

“I…um, no… I don’t think…” She spluttered out.

“Please?” Came a voice from across the room, Rosie looked up and met the icy eyes of Thorin, “For me?” He asked, Rosie now felt obliged to sing the song.

“There’s no music,” She then said, desperate to not sing.

“Don’t worry lass,” Bofur called pulling out a small ukulele. “I have this,” He said and then began softly strumming the strings. Silence had now fallen around the room and everyone waited on Rosie. Closing her eyes she let the soft strumming wash over her and tried her best to remember the lyrics.

“ _Oh, misty eye of the mountain below_ ,” She began, a sharp intake of breath went around the room, she continued, “ _Keep careful watch of my brother’s souls_ ,” Another pause, “ _And should the sky be filled with, fire and smoke_ ,” Another pause, “ _Keep watching over Durin’s sons_ ,” She opened her eyes to find most of the company sitting they eyes either shut or somewhere else, letting her words wash over them.

“ _If this is to end in fire, then we should all burn together_ ,” Cece’s soft voice joined in.

“ _Watch the flames climb high into the night, calling out father, oh, stand by and we will, watch the flames burn auburn on, the mountainside_ ,” Frankie hummed along.

_And if we should die tonight,_

_Then we should all die together,_

_Raise a glass of wine for the last time,_

_Calling out father, oh,_

_Prepare as we will,_

_Watch the flames burn auburn over,_

_The mountainside,_

_Desolation comes upon the sky,_

The company swayed along, allowing the beautifully truthful words wash over them. The soft strum of the ukulele and the delicate voices of the three girls filling the room with noise.

_Now I see fire,_

_Inside the mountain,_

_I see fire,_

_Burning the trees,_

_And I see fire,_

_Hollowing souls,_

_I see fire,_

_Blood in the breeze,_

_And I hope that you remember me,_

 Some of the dwarves were now humming along, their low, rumbling voices harmonizing nicely with the voices of the three girls. The music swelled and Bofur began strumming more strongly, a new feeling arose in the companies chests.

_And if the night is burning,_

_I will cover my eyes,_

_For if the dark returns then,_

_My brothers will die,_

_And as the sky is falling down,_

_It crashed into this lonely town,_

_And with that shadow upon the ground,_

_I hear my people screaming out,_

The girl’s voices got louder and now all the dwarves had joined in making some noise of their own, the emotions of the song ripping through the bodies and piercing their hearts.

_Now I see fire,_

_Inside the mountain,_

_I see fire,_

_Burning the trees,_

_And I see fire,_

_Hollowing souls,_

_And I see fire,_

_Blood in the breeze,_

Some of the dwarves now sang along, picking up the lyrics and letting them fall freely from the lips. The girls looked around and saw all the whole company wracked with emotion and...encouragement.

_I see fire, fire,_

_And I see, fire,_

_And I see fire, fire,_

_And I see fire burn auburn on the mountainside,_

Silence now filled the room, but it wasn’t an unhappy one, no, it was a hopeful one. The thirteen dwarves, hobbit and three girls sat together in the small house in Lake Town, each of them never feeling more alive than they did in that moment, their blood coursing through their veins in a way like never before. And Rosie looked up and once again caught the eye of Thorin, but this time, the mistiness was nowhere to be found.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update: stopped feeling sick, however, injection area has now swollen and is blotchy and red. Noice.


	32. Laketown's Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> \- much of movie dialogue  
> \- sorry  
> \- better chapter next time I promise <3

The company was getting ready to sneak out in the evening, bags prepped and prepared, everything in order. They were to sneak out following Bard’s directions, who was, in fact, coming with them, bag and the black arrow on his back. They waited until the sky had once again turned dark and you could no longer distinguish shapes and objects that were a few feet in front of you. Then they started to creep out and away.

“ _Come on_ ,” Bard hissed, and the company followed, for once actually trying to be quiet. They followed Bard once again over the wooden bridges which he knew so well, at moments they would have to pause and wait for the danger that Bard has seen pass. It felt good to be outside again after being housebound for the past few days, of course, a dragon awaited them, but we won’t fret about that right now.

Things were running smoothly, everything was on track, everyone was quiet. Well, that was before Bombur lost his balance and fell backwards taking Bofur, Bifur and Gloin with him into the icy water. The loud splash echoed throughout the small valley and the whole company froze. The poor dwarves which fell in the water were now trying, very quietly, to get out but they’re feet kept slipping on the wet, wooden floor.

“ _Help them up_ ,” Thorin hissed as he checked around the corner for any guards coming, prepared to cut them down if it came down to it. A few more dwarves crowded around the area and began pulling the others out who were now spluttering and shivering. “ _Quiet_ ,” Thorin hissed once again and a silence once again fell on the company. In this moment of silence, nothing could be heard except the mewling of a cat not too far away, a breath of the relief echoed through the company.

Then they heard footsteps. They were not too far away, a pitter patter on the wooden floor and it wasn’t too long before another pair of feet joined them, and another. Suddenly, the calling of men could be heard and the panic rose rather quickly in their chests.

“ _Come on! Come on_!” Bard whisper-shouted and the company was once again moving, this time with more haste. They wove in and out of buildings, taking more precaution this time when turning corners and moving over bridges. At some point, the footsteps they heard earlier moved above their heads, slowly and cautiously, so quiet that if a pin were to drop it would surely echo around the town and even up the mountain. “ _Move on_ ,” Bard breathed, and they did. They were just turning one of the last few corners to the gate at the other end of town to which they entered when they got a rather unpleasant surprise.

“ _Well, well, well_ ,” The company was just shuffling their way around a house when a cocky, sardonic voice could be heard. Turning around, behind them, they could see a large selection of guards all standing with smirks on their faces, in the middle stood an arrogant Alfred Lickspittle. “The Master’s gonna be not too happy about this,” He said, grinning and showing off a horrible set of teeth, “Not too happy at all.”

Each of the members of the company was grabbed and dragged away by one of the guards, unfortunately, their numbers somehow managed to largely outweigh the companies. They were hauled away in a direction that was opposite to the one they were going, yet the girls held no fear, this should all work out just peachy.

“Ah, Bard,” Alfred called and walked over to where Bard was now covered in restraints. “Looks like we finally caught you in the act,” He sneered, “Nowhere to run now,” He grinned, “I did it, I caught ‘im, Master might now give me that raise,” He glowered before boastfully walking away, the guards and company following in pursuit. They were hauled once more forward, the town now awakening at the shouts and clomping of boots that emitted from the guards.

Members of the town crept out of their houses and watched with wide, curious eyes as the company were jostled past, none of them saying anything, just watching. Some of them followed behind the throng of dwarves and men (and a hobbit) and others joined and soon there was a crowd following them through the town. By the time they had made it to the home of the master, almost every man and woman inhabiting Lake Town were stood around the sides, watching and waiting.

“What is the meaning of this?” The disgruntled master cried as he stepped out from his house into the frosty night, pulling his coat around his shoulders.

“Caught ‘em trynna sneak out sire,” Alfred calling out, “They are ‘ere without paying sire, Bard’s been sneaking ‘em around,” He smiled up at his master, waiting for the praise he desperately wanted.

“Bard? Sneaking around… _enemies of the state_ ,” The master cried almost happily, looking upon the company.

“Aye sire,” Alfred almost cried with glee, “I would call ‘em desperate saboteurs sire,” Alrif continued staring down at the company.

“Hold your tongue,” Dwalin spat, “You do not know to whom you speak, this is no common criminal, this is Thorin,” Dwalin said gesturing to where Thorin stood rather close to Rosie. “Son of Thrain, son of Thror!” He called and an excited tremor ran through the bodies of the men and women surrounding them.

“We are the dwarves of Erebor,” Thorin spoke, his voice low and rumbling as he passed Dwalin and stepped forward into the light, “Come to reclaim our homeland.” People around the outside gasped and whispered and pushed forward to see the yet to be king. Thorin then dove down into his speech of the old Lake Town, of how fleets of boats lay at harbour filled with silks and fine gems, of Laketown’s previous purpose. “…and wealth and riches shall be sent, once more flowing from the halls of Erebor!” He cried. _Let’s hope you keep that promise_ Rosie thought sadly looking at the strong Dwarf she saw before her.

Unfortunately, with Bard already aware of the situation there was no one to cut in, no one to warn the people of what Thorin was actually going to bring upon Lake Town. The only thing that happened after that was the cries of people in the crowd, overjoyed with the idea of having the wealth and riches that used to flow so freely from their pockets.

“Why should we take your word aye?” Came the horrid voice of Alfred now desperately watching as this hope of a raise was slipping through his fingers. “We know nothing about you, who ‘ere can vouch for your character?” He asked. There was a pause as another round of whispered spread through the crowd.

“We can,” Rosie blurted from where she stood with Frankie and Cece by her sides. Frankie stood confidently next to her friend whilst Cece only threw her ‘ _the fuck you are doing_?’ look. A silence blanketed the cold crowd.

“Who are you?” Alfred called over the silence.

“My name is Rosanna Parker, and these are my friends Cecelia and Francesca. We have travelled from far and distant lands to be with the dwarves you see before you,” Rosie began trying to remember what Bilbo had said in the movie. “That _is_ …Thorin Oakenshield,” She paused, “I swear, on any oath! That I am not lying to you! I know as well as anybody in this company that the dwarf that stands before you _is_ the heir to the throne of Erebor. Just look at him” She said, concluding her little moment in the spotlight and gesturing to the dwarf before her. For a moment the silence dragged on and Rosie believed that what she had said wasn’t enough however suddenly someone deep within the crowd cheered with hope and the others followed in his footsteps. Rosie smiled and turned to Thorin who smiled warmly at her before bowing his head slightly, he then turned to the master.

“I speak to the master of men on the lake. Will you see the prophecy for filled, will you share…in the great wealth of our people? What say you?” Thorin called, walking up the forlorn brown steps of the house, creaking under his condense weight. The master paused for dramatic effect causing Rosie to want to roll her eyes.

“I say unto you… _welcome_!” He cried. “ _Welcome king under the mountain_!” He shouted over the cheers of his people before turning around and burrowing himself back into his home with his own amount of gold. Rosie watched as he turned to go then looked at all the smiling and happy faces of the men and women of Laketown, hopeful for a new and better future. _Let’s just hope we can give it to them_.

* * *

The company was back at Bard’s house preparing for the second time to go out and battle a dragon, however, this time there would be no sneaking around late at night. It was morning and they were about to walk out in pure daylight through Laketown and to a boat which would carry them across the waters, a much quicker journey.

The girls did a head count before they left and sure enough all 14 members stood before them, 18 including themselves and Bard who was armoured up and ready to go, a solemn and troubled looked dipping in and out of his features. They said their farewells to the son and daughters of Bard and thanked them for the hospitality before they headed down and out into the warm daylight. They were met by a large cheer from the group of men and women waiting for them and smiled back, Laketown's hope and a lot of weapons were all they needed.

Smiling and waving, they moved through the crowds and eventually came up to where the boat was resting on the calm water, waiting for them. They began to unpack their luggage onto the boat and spread it out, doing checks and double checks on everything they had. When they had the thumbs up they moved onto the boat, all of them. Frankie, Rosie and Cece had found a place near the front where they could watch the still waters as they passed. They were chatting and playing with the glacial water when they heard a commotion on the other side of the boat.

“Not you,” Thorin said swiftly, placing a hand on Kili’s chest and stopping him from stepping on the boat. Rosie felt her heart drop.

“Why?” Kili asked when Thorin didn’t give an answer, confusion riddling his face.

“You’re ill, I don’t know how or why but I do know that you will slow us down,” He then looked at his nephew, something in his eyes again, “I cannot risk the sake of this mission for the life of one dwarf, not even my own kin.” The company had been stunned into silence, this was not their leader, this was not Thorin Oakenshield. The girls watched, horror evident on their faces, _Kili was ill?_

“I am not ill,” Kili said, “I’m fine.” But looking at him he was now so obviously not fine. His skin was sickly pale and there were heavy bags under his eyes, his hair clamped at his forehead with sweat and he wobbled when he walked.

“Kili,” Frankie said, almost a whisper. “Are you hurt?” She said, her voice soft and slightly unsteady. Kili flicked his eyes to her. “Kili,” She said again. Kili said nothing but simply avoiding the gaze of Frankie. “You’re hurt aren’t you,” She said, her voice cracking.

“Why would you hide this from us?” Cece asked taking over and moved towards Kili.

“Were you hit at any point by an Orc arrow?” Rosie took over, her eyes narrowing. Kili stared at the three girls and realized how unbelievably idiotic he had been. He nodded his head slowly, wincing, but not from the pain which radiated from his side. Rosie and Cece let out exasperated sighs and Cece buried her face in her hands whilst the other looked on sadly. Frankie, however, did not remove her eyes from those of Kili's.

“Why would you keep this from me?” She whispered, just audible over Rosie and Cece’s rapid planning. He opened his mouth to answer, but no words fell out. He wanted to scream, he wanted to cry ‘ _I did this so you wouldn’t look at me like everyone else! Like the reckless younger brother! The problem maker! Last in line to the throne!_ ’ but alas no sound came from his lips. “I could have helped you,” Frankie whispered again, her eyes glassy. Kili hated himself with a mighty passion for the look of hurt which flickered like a flame in her eyes, a flame which he lit, a fire which was his fault. Suddenly Rosie jumped out of the boat.

“Where are you going?” Thorin spat grabbing a hold of Rosie’s arm. Rosie looked down at where he was holding her arm so harshly before looking at him deep in his eyes, leaning over she got a better look and yet again something foggy remained there.

“I’m staying here,” She said firmly as Kili was led away by Oin the healer.

“No, you’re not, I need every able-bodied man on this boat,” He said back, not letting go of her arm.

“Thorin, I’m staying here and nothing you can do or say is going to change my mind,” She said moving to take her arm away, Thorin’s grip tightened. Rosie suddenly swivelled around and came inches away from Thorin’s face, rage coursing through her features. “Do not forget Thorin, you made a promise,” She spat, “Remember, Rivendell.” Thorin was taken aback for a second and for a few moments he didn’t see any anger in Rosie’s face but worry and fear. He knew what she was talking about and part of him wanted to apologize for grabbing her so harshly, but there was another voice. This voice which whispered in his ear to leave the girl, to turn away from her and climb on the boat and sail to where he belonged. To his throne. His _gold._

“Me too,” Fili said hopping out of the boat. Rosie gave one last cold stare at Thorin before yanking her arm away and following Fili.

“Fili!” Thorin called but Fili did not turn around, simply wrapped an arm around his brother. Fili, of course, knew about this, knew how this was supposed to happen and how this was, in fact, Thorin’s first sign of Gold sickness. He was to stay. Without saying anything, Frankie too clambered out the boat and turned back and held her hand out for Cece.

“Come on,” Frankie sighed at her friend. However, Cece did not take Frankie’s hand she simple adverted her eyes and kept her hands folded behind her back. “Cece?” Frankie asked in confusion.

“I’m going,” She said, quietly but firmly.

“But…” Rosie said coming to the edge of the boat, Cece cut in.

“I can’t leave them, how will they do it without one of us there?” Cece said. Rosie and Frankie didn’t say anything obviously disagreeing with Cece's idea, “Also, you’re both needed,” When she said this Frankie and Rosie got even more confused. “When you stay here, do one thing for me - when Legolas and Tauriel arrive _kill Bolg_." The message was received loud and clear.

"I'm not letting you go alone," Rosie said moving to climb back into the boat, Cece stopped her.

"I will be fine. As long as we stick to the plan," Cece smiled up at her friend. Rosie paused, a look of confusion and sorrow, she slowly moved back and away from the boat.

"Are you sure?" Came a voice, turning around Cece met Fili's blue ones, full of concern for both his brother and for Cece. Every inch of Cece wanted to spring out of the boat and into Fili's arms, to tell him that it was going to be okay...that _she_ was going to be okay. But she didn't.

"Yes," She smiled at him, "I promise," And then gave him one last longing look before settling down on the boat and looking at where the lonely mountain awaited her. Thorin, the last one to climb abroad the boat, turned back once more to those who were staying. Without saying anything he gave a little nod at his kin and Oin before glancing past the girls, Rosie couldn't help notice something new in his eyes... _shame?_

The five who were left behind watched as the boat pulled away from the dock and began sailing softly along the calm waters. The men and women of Laketown cheered them on as they moved past, nodding and smiling as if they had already reclaimed the mountain. As soon as the company moved out of sight the two girls flipped around and ran over to Kili.

"Come on, let's go," Frankie said, grabbing Kili and helping him stand. "Where is it?" She asked.

"My side, it's only a scratch well...it _should_ have been," He sighed. Frankie nodded thoughtfully before taking one of Kili's arms and throwing it over her shoulder.

"Where shall we go?" Fili asked, taking Kili's other arm.

"I guess we should go to the master and ask for medical equipment there," Oin said as he began leading Kili, Frankie and Fili a certain direction.

"No," Rosie said jumping in front. "Let's go to Bard's," She said and turned around to the path they had taken that very morning. "The master will deny as help, it's better we go to Bard's and wait there,"

"Wait for what?" Fili asked from where he was guiding in his brother, Rosie didn’t even pause as she plundered on.

"For the elves of course,"


	33. Orcs Invade Laketown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SORRY IF THERE'S MISTAKES I HAD TO RUSH THIS

Cece sat upon the calm waters and watched as the pulled up and away from those which they left behind. Part of her wanted to jump out of the boat and join her friends, another wanted to grab one of them and drag them onto the boat with her. But she had a dragon to kill, well Bard did, she just needed to ensure that it happened.

Sighing she turned to where Dwalin sat next to her, smiling up at him she rested her head against his shoulder, something which came naturally around Dwalin. They moved almost silently along the water, the company tense. Possibly because they were about to try and kill a fire-breathing dragon, possibly because of what happened with Thorin back on the docks. They could only fear for the worst, in both situations.

Adverting her gaze from where Thorin stood at the front of the boat looking up at the lonely mountain, Cece took a moment to peer back to Laketown, now quite far away. _Come on guys, we can do this._

* * *

Rosie led the small group through the town, which she was now becoming familiar with until they reached a set of stairs followed by a brown wooden door. Knocking on it thrice Rosie waited for one of Bard’s children to answer.

“Hello,” Bard’s eldest daughter, Sigrid, answered. “Oh,” She said once she gazed upon the familiar faces, “Aren’t you supposed to be- “

“Yes, yes,” Rosie cut in, “We had to stay behind you see, Kili’s sick,” She said stepping back so Sigrid could look upon the pale face of Kili who was slightly hunched over now.

“Come in, come in,” Sigrid ushered as she pulled the door open wider. The small group made their way in and spread out.

“Okay, there that table,” Rosie called out pointing at a bare table at the end of the room. “Sigrid, could you get us some blankets and towels please,” Rosie said, and Sigrid gave a sharp nodded before disappearing, Bard’s youngest daughter then appeared.

“What’s going on?” She asked watching as Kili huffed and leaned against a table clutching his side, it looked like everything he had been holding in the past few days was being let go.

“Hi Tilda honey,” Frankie said softly walking over to the young girl. “Kili’s sick, do you think you could show me where your father keeps his medical supply?” She smiled sweetly. Tilda thought for a moment before a determined look settled on her face.

“This way,” She said before turning around and taking Frankie over to a cupboard.

“Sigrid said you needed blankets,” Bain called as he ran into the room, his arms full of soft materials.

“Thank you,” Rosie said before taking them out of his hands and with Fili’s help, threw them over the table and sorted them so they would be more comfortable for Kili to lie on. “Get him up,” Rosie ordered, and Fili nodded. With the efforts of both herself, Fili and Oin, Kili made it up onto the table his face now contorted with pain.

“Why does it hurt so much?” He gasped, Rosie was slapped in the face with nostalgia for a moment with the memory of hearing those words escape Tauriel’s own lips on a screen.

“Because it’s been in your system so long,” Oin began to explain, “You have been fighting it but by doing so your body has grown far too weak!” He said as he pulled the medical box out of Frankie’s arms as she came over.

“What can you do?” Fili asked from his brother’s side, eyes full of worry. Oin didn’t reply for a moment, simply rummaged through the wooden box.

“Nothing that can truly help with that’s in here,” Oin sighed and dropped the box back on the table, the girls stood in silence and thought.

“I got it!” Frankie cried.

“What?” Rosie called back, the panic now rising in her chest.

“That plant…herb thing, you know,” Frankie began to explain, Rosie simply stared at her friend.

“Pardon?” Rosie asked.

“No, the herb, the healing one,” Frankie sighed and wracked her memory for a name. “You feed it to the pigs!” She suddenly cried, the dwarves thought for a moment.

“Wait… _athelas_?” Fili asked his brows furrowed. “It’s a weed it will be of no help,”

“No, no, no,” Oin began, “She’s onto something. Surely, they will have some here,” He said turning to Frankie.

“I’ll go get it,” She said running to the door.

“Frankie!” Rosie called.

“What?” Frankie asked turning to her friend, Rosie paused.

“Just be careful okay,” Rosie stared at her friend, “Orcs are going to flood this town soon.” Frankie smiled and nodded at her, giving her a look of confidence and strength before opening the door and slipping out into the midday sun.

“Orcs?” Fili asked. Rosie turned to him.

“We’ll worry about it later,” She said and began removing the clothing around Kili’s wound.

* * *

The boat pulled up to the stony shore and everyone piled out immediately, the excitement of being so close to the mountain taking over everyone’s thoughts. They took out their belongings from the boat and began the steep climb up the base of the mountain.

The climb wasn’t as enjoyable for Cece as it was for the other dwarves, for Erebor was not her home. To be perfectly honest, she hadn’t even seen the inside of it, yet here she was, risking life and limb for these dwarves. Because she could.

Clambering over rocks and up steep hills, Cece found her thighs screaming in a way that they hadn’t so far along the story. She found herself constantly needing to catch her breath and take breaks whereas the dwarves ploughed on, their eagerness numbing their pain.

It wasn’t long before they were standing on the overlook where the burnt remains of Dale lay. It was hauntingly melancholy and as Cece looked at a place that so clearly held love and happiness, she felt something hard form at the back of her throat. Then, a dull fear spread through her limbs as she realized that whatever caused this mass destruction, lay in that mountain. _Brilliant._

“Bard,” She said, some of the first words to be spoken since they left Laketown.

“Yes?” He asked, coming closer to her.

“This is where we leave you,” She said, Bard nodded in response, “The dragon will at some point fly from that entrance over there to go to Lake Town. That’s when you shoot him,” She said pointing at where the familiar gate of Laketown could be seen. “And not to pressurize you or anything but…” She trailed off, “You kind of can’t miss,” She said, an unreadable look passed through Bard’s features but he covered it quickly and nodded.

“I will be waiting,” He said before moving away and sitting down on a rock, he was going to be here a while. Cece smiled at him and then turned and found Thorin staring at her, arms crossed.

“Can we trust him?” He asked, “After all he is a human,”

“Thorin,” Cece sighed, exasperated, she had absolutely no energy right now to deal with his stubborn bullshit, “Just…okay?” She said before moving past him and starting to clamber down the hill. _We kill the dragon, then we deal with the other fire-breather_ she thought.

* * *

Rosie was waiting patiently for Frankie’s return. It was no afternoon and the sky was darkening, but that’s winter for you. All she could do for Kili was every so often wipe down his brow and hum softly to him. Fili was pacing the room and Oin was making different concoctions with what they had to slow down the infections progress. The three children of Bard sat in the room and watched as Kili would grunt and moan, sweat collecting everywhere along his body. _Come on Frankie, come on Tauriel, come on Legolas_ Rosie thought over and over, chanting in her mind.

“Rosie, you talked about Orcs before,” Fili suddenly piped up, filling the room with another noise instead.

“Yeah, they’re coming to invade the town or something,” Rosie sighed shrugging it off.

“Is that not a big deal?” Fili asked almost as if he didn’t believe how casual Rosie was being about it.

“No! Because- “Rosie said turning but then a loud thump was heard on the roof. Silence fell. Rosie looked eyes with Fili and waited for another sound to be heard. Before they could do anything, Sigrid walked over and opened the door and stood out.

“Hello?” She called, Rosie ran over to her. “Hello? _Ahh_ \- “Sigrid screamed just as Rosie pulled her inside. Rosie was too slow though and the orc's weapon got caught in the door frame.

“Sigrid!” She called pulling against the orcs tries to open the door, “Pull!” She cried before dropping to the floor and rolling away leaving Sigrid seconds to take the place of where Rosie was. Rosie dived and grabbed her sword, unsheathing it in the process, Fili followed in her footsteps and armed himself with two swords in each hand. Ori stood by Kili’s side prepared to take on any danger that got too close to him.

“Rosie what of Frankie?” Fili called over Sigrid’s screaming, Rosie paused for a moment sadness and fear piercing her heart.

“We’ll worry about that later!” She cried back just as an orc slammed through the other door and one fell through the roof onto the table. Fili made short work of the two leaving Rosie to usher the children under the table, all of them. More orcs fell through the doors and ceiling and together Fili and Rosie stood side by side and kept them away.

Oin threw in his own contributions here and there but remained close to Kili, he had to keep him safe. Rosie obviously had not been fighting her whole life like Fili and still wasn’t a top-class fighter, however, those endless nights of training with Dwalin has seriously paid off. After she finished with an orc another seemed to appear right away, it was almost as if there was an endless supply of them spilling into the house, but just then she caught a flash of red hair. Smiling she turned to the table where she met a familiar pair of icy blue ones smiling back at her before they jumped down and joined in the fight.

Soon Rosie, Fili, Legolas and Tauriel were all standing and fighting the orcs which dared to enter the house. To be honest, they might quite a team, and soon the house was cleared of all the orcs however, of course, Kili had somehow managed to get himself involved and was now lying on the floor crying out in pain. Rosie looked up and saw Tauriel staring at him with hurt and fear, good. Soon the orcs stopped piling in and Legolas came in from where he was outside.

“The orcs are moving away, come Tauriel,” Legolas said as he entered.

“No,” Rosie simply replied causing Legolas to cock his head to the side. “Tauriel you stay, Legolas I’ll come with you,” She paused and looked at their confused faces. “Tauriel needs to heal Kili,” She said simply, Legolas looked away. Speaking of healing Frankie fell through the door, a cut on her cheek and look rather ruffled.

“ _I got the damn weed_ ,” She spluttered as she stood up holding out the green and white herb.

“Athelas,” Tauriel breathed taking the herb out of Frankie’s hands.

“Better be,” Frankie said through her gasps for air, “I fought a fucking orc for it,”

“Okay good, Tauriel you’ve got your athelas to heal Kili, Legolas wants some orc blood and we need to kill an orc. Sounds like a plan,” Rosie said moving over to Legolas expecting Frankie to follow. When she realized her friend was not in fact following her she turned around and saw Frankie staring at Kili who lay on the floor, grunting and heaving. “Frankie…” She trailed off, Frankie looked up at her guilt and sorrow bleeding from her eyes. “Stay,” She said softly realizing that her friend could not be parted with Kili.

“But I…” Frankie trailed off.

“It’s okay,” Rosie smiled warmly, “Besides, me and leggy got this aye?” She smiled turning to her new friend.

“Leggy?”

* * *

Rosie and Legolas moved down the balcony and onto the wooden pathway where Legolas immediately shot and took down two orcs. Legolas was moving at a slower pace so Rosie could keep up but that didn’t mean he disliked going at that speed, he was fond of Rosie and was going to help her. The two managed to take down the nearby orcs with ease the others scuttled over rooftops as they flocked to meet with their master.

Rosie found herself using muscles that she didn’t even know she had as she moved over balconies and buildings, killing orc after orc in the process. She felt bad for leaving Frankie, it was the first time she was out doing something without either of her friends and that thought riddled her with fear. She, however, understood why Frankie chose to stay, or why Frankie felt obliged to stay, and she couldn’t say no to a reason like that. Rosie and Legolas continued to move through the town, Legolas simply wanting to kill orcs and Rosie wanting to kill their leader, speaking of which…

“Legolas!” She called as she drove her sword through the gut of a ragged orc.

“Are you hurt?” He called back as he took on three orcs with a simple flick of his wrist.

“No! I just want you to know that I am after a certain orc!” She called back, ducking out of the way of an orcs arrow which pierced the wooden frame above her.

“I seemed to have already picked that up!” Legolas called back as he jumped effortlessly onto to the barriers of a small bridge.

“It’s this big tall orc, he’s wearing a sort of metal mask and he’s tall!” Rosie called as she ran along the side of the lake whilst Legolas jumped in the middle.

“Do you wish for me to kill him?” Legolas called back as he shot two orcs with one arrow.

“No, I _wish_ for him to be dead!” Rosie said before turning a corner and stopping because the orc which she had just been talking about stood right before her. “Leggy?” She whispered.

“What?” He whispered back from where he stood at her side, sword now drawn.

“That’s him,”

* * *

Frankie ran around and grabbed the things which Tauriel ordered from her. When she had collected everything, she handed them over to Tauriel who crushed them in a clay pot before peeling away the flaps of Kili’s tunic. Tauriel stared at the wound for a moment, something fogging in her eyes before she took the substance and pushed it into the wound.

Kili threw his head back and cried out in pain and Frankie’s heart squeezed. She dropped to her knees by his side and gave him her hand to hold, which he took gladly. Tauriel began the enchantments, a string of beautiful elvish words crafted together and pronounced to a rhythmic beat. Frankie and Fill sat by Kili and watched as Tauriel performed her magic.

Tauriel, mid-chant, then looked down at the wounded Kili whose face was pale and hair was wet. Tauriel looked at him with a look of care and love, a look which she herself seemed alien to. Frankie only sat by and observed as the elf looked at Kili the same way she had been recently and felt something drizzle down her chest like cool water. From where she was perched she could not see Kili’s face. She didn’t want to.

For a moment, she didn’t want to even be in that room, because she realized that she did not even belong there. This was a fictional world, a story, and she was no story. She was the harsh reality of life, the authenticity of the story, the truth in the lie. The land she had been walking for the past few months was not her own, it was not even real, it was a land of dwarves and elves, wizards and orcs. It was not her land, it never was, and therefore it was not in right to love someone from that land. How could she ever think that she had any right to love Kili? To ruin the story? To obstruct him from his true love?

In this moment of time, Frankie was so lost in her insensitive thoughts that she did not even realize that Kili was healed, that Kili had been _saved_. She was awoken from her penitentiary of thoughts when Fili happily clapped her on the back in celebration as Kili’s breath evened out and the black wound turned red before disappearing altogether.

Frankie smiled up at Fili but found that she couldn’t look at Kili, not with those thoughts in her head. So, she stood from her crouching position and moved to the balcony, leaving Kili in peace with his beloved. Frankie sighed as a cool wind attempted to blow through her hair, night had now fallen and the sky thrummed blue with white gleams of starlight piercing the darkness. From inside she could hear the chattering of Fili and Oin as they discussed the miracle they had just witnessed, the miracle of Tauriel, she could also hear a muttering of words exchange between Kili and Tauriel.

Frankie wanted to hate Tuairel, she wanted to despise her with every drop of blood in her body but when she looked at her, she couldn't. Tauriel was strong and kind and although her elf status she had helped a dwarf, a race which she was supposed to hate. Frankie sighed and rested her head on the wooden balcony before her.

“Frankie!” Ori called from inside. “Kili wants to see you!” Frankie’s ears perked up. Slowly, she moved back into the main room where she found that Tauriel had moved away from Kili, a warm yet sad smile on her face as she cleared away some clay pots. Frankie moved closer to where Kili’s form lay, a blanket now draped around his shoulders.

“Kili?” She smiled down at him, he sleepy grinned back at her. “How are you feeling?” She asked softly as she once again knelt by his side.

“Frankie…” He hummed, looking at her through half-closed eyes.

“Yes, it’s me,” Frankie found herself whispering back, she suddenly had the overwhelming urge to push some of the strands of hair which stuck to his forehead off his face, she resisted.

“You were there…” He hummed again, now not looking at Frankie but rather at the ceiling. “You were there…” He said softly once more, Frankie looked down and saw a flicker of movement in Kili’s hand, almost as if he was reaching out for something.

“Yes,” Frankie said, finding that she was choking on her words, “Yes, of course, I was. I was there and I always will be,” She breathed finding her voice unsteady.

“I’m glad you were there…” He sighed before closing his eyes, his breath slowing, “ _I wanted nobody else_ …” Were the last words Kili said before his head lolled to the side as a slumber overtook his body. Frankie felt a new lump harden at the back of her throat, she leaned over and with shaky hands pushed some of the hair out of his face so the warm candlelight spilt onto his features.

An overwhelming urge to cry overtook Frankie and, without saying anything, she stood and moved out of the room and down the hall. But as she fumbled her way along the darkened wooden house she found the world become blurry and the images before her become distorted. It took her a moment to realize that the world was not changing but she was in fact crying. She never made it to the bedroom. She simply crumpled down onto the cold wooden floor and wept.


	34. First Steps

Cece heaved for breath, her body thrumming and aching. They had just spent the last few hours clambering up the fallen dwarf statue, weaving their way in and out of its cracks and curves (some of them implied some of them the result of weathering). They had made it to the little overlook where the dwarven door was hidden in the stone-cold rock. They still had a few more minutes of sunlight left and Cece spent it sitting near the edge of the cliff, the height not affecting her as she looked to where Laketown lay, now a small puddle in the distance.

It felt weird being on her own, without Frankie and Rosie, just herself. However, the company was still the company, they were still her friends and she would look out for them no matter what. Sighing, Cece flickered her eyes to where Thorin stood not too far away from her, he too was staring out at the scene before them, but not at Lake Town, but up at the setting sun. Cece could almost hear his thoughts as he wished for time to speed up.

Eventually, the sun set behind the mountains and the company held their breaths as they watched the moon rise and slowly settle over the area they were standing on. As the moonlight danced upon the grooves and grains of the stone it illuminated a shadow which could not be seen before. The shadow, upon further inspection, was, in fact, a keyhole. At the revealing of this news, a sigh of a mixture of things escaped the lips of many as they realized that they were about to enter their homeland.

Thorin walked over and removed the key from his neck, he held it in his hand for a moment and ran a finger over the carvings of the handle. _This was it_. Thorin pushed the key into the hole, and once it was in he turned it with some difficulty. From within the sound of a door sliding could be heard, then another and then another. _Dwarves and their architecture_ Cece thought to herself with a smile.

Thorin then pressed to hands on the area of stone from which they keyhole had been presented, with what looked like some horsepower, Thorin managed to open the door revealing the first look of Erebor Cece had ever got to see. Cece watched, emotions now filling her, as Thorin stepped into his homeland, his people following in his path.

“I know these halls,” His voice broke and Cece felt something hit in the chest. For she had not just heard the moody, sick Thorin that she had been recently no, she heard the Thorin from the late nights of camping, the Thorin who laughed with them and wasn’t afraid to smile, the Thorin who had offered them a place in his company as they started their friendship over apology pancakes. This was Thorin Oakenshield. This was Thorin Oakenshield _home_.

Cece chocked back whatever was rising in her throat and moved into the stone halls behind the group. As soon as she stepped into the stone, something came over her and she realized why the dwarves were so driven to reclaim their homeland. There was something so blissful about standing under the rocky earth yet so high above everyone else in the world. The walls thrummed and seemed to be slightly warm to touch instantly making the stone feel homely and comforting.

Smiling she turned and looked up at where the picture was carved into the stone above the secret doorway. The lines were intricate and portrayed great care, the runes she could not read but that did not mean that she did not understand. When she felt that the dwarves had got familiar with the fact that they were in fact here, she began pushing the plan into action.

“So, Bilbo, Balin will take you down to the halls,” Cece bent down towards to hobbit and took him by his shoulders, “Now remember, you’re looking for the Arkenstone, don’t worry you’ll notice it when you see it, trust me. There is, in fact, a dragon there but that should not worry you too much. If he wakes just use your brilliant delaying skills,” She smiled happily, Bilbo gave a nod but his eyes revealed that he was in fact scared. “Bilbo,” She said softly so the others could not hear, “In the story, you do just fine, better than fine, brilliant is what you are!” She smiled, this caused the fear to die down, “Trust me, nothing bad is going to happen. Before you know it, Smaug’s going to be dead and everything’s going to be okay.”

This seemed to do the trick and Bilbo suddenly looked up at Cece with a look of determination and confidence. Nodding at her sharply Bilbo turned and followed Balin down the stone path, not looking back. The company paused for a moment, sending their best wishes to the little hobbit who was facing death for them. Cece then stepped out onto the small clearing outside and stood rather close to the edge, fixating her gaze back onto Laketown. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t even notice the figure standing next to her.

“Do not worry,” Came Thorin’s deep voice from beside her, she jumped slightly and then looked over at him. “Everything will be okay,” He said softly, his gaze too fixed on Lake Town.

“I thought I was the one who was supposed to say that,” Cece joked, turning back to the view.

“Of course,” Thorin said a faint grin slipping on his cheeks, “But recently, I’ve started to believe that to be true.” And these words of sanity from Thorin were the last Cece would hear for a while.

* * *

It had been a while since Bilbo had disappeared down the dwarf halls and the company now sat outside, waiting to enter the mountain themselves. The company did not talk, merely sent their positive thoughts to the little hobbit who was literally facing death for them. Cece sighed and rested her head back against the stone wall, the cool breeze sending shivers down her spine. She knew what was about to happen, but that didn't make it any less scary. Just then a rumble echoed throughout the mountain, it was so low and loud that Cece felt her teeth chatter in her skull as her whole body shook.

"Was that an earthquake?" Ori asked innocently, however, a sign of fear could be detected in his eyes.

"No lad, that...was a dragon," Balin said as he arose. The same feeling coursed through all of them.

"Time to go," Cece simply uttered before walking over to the mouth of the mountain and disappearing inside, Balin behind her pushing her down the right direction. As they wove deeper and further into the dwarven halls the noises became louder and more distinct, soon they heard the pitter-patter of footsteps before Bilbo jumped out sprinting right for them.

"Bilbo!" Bofur happily called as Bilbo came face to them, his forehead wet and his face flushed.

"No, we have to turn back right now," Bilbo simply said making to move through the small gathering, he was stopped by Thorin.

"Do you have the Arkenstone?" He asked, a dull throb in his eyes, Bilbo stared at him in disbelief.

"It doesn't matter," Cece interrupted unsheathing a few of her daggers, "We stick to the plan. No turning back now." And with that, she turned and scurried down the corridor before her. It wasn't long before the corridor opened out to Cece revealing a hall filled with gold and other riches, it was also filled by the low-level rumbling of a dragon.

* * *

Legolas dived for the overly large orc and Rosie ducked as the orcs large hammer skimmed over her head. She gasped and pushed herself against the nearest beam, never had she expected for one damn orc to be so hard to kill. Sucking in some air she managed to take down an orc which was heading for Legolas and Bolg’s fighting forms.

Swiveling she took out the other orc which was just about to jump for her, taking her sword, she turned around just in time to see Bolg push Legolas away and turn to go coming face to face with her. She raised her sword and expected him to do the same, however, he simply grinned grimly down at the girl and went to walk past her.

“What? Think I’m not worth your time?” Rosie taunted, her voice betraying her slightly, Bolg paused as he moved away. “Bolg, I’m disappointed in you, I thought you actually had some guts!” She called again, hoping she was buying Legolas some time if not, she was going to kill the bastard herself. Bolg huffed and turned back to her, an angry look now set on his face. His large form headed for her and she felt some of the breath leave her body.

Rosie dodged his first attack and moved swiftly out of the way to only dodge another of his many swings. Bolg huffed and turned to her and raised his hammer high above his head before Rosie could even realize what was going on. Rosie felt breath leave her body and suddenly her ears were filled with the noise of her heartbeat as it quickened in pace, the hammer loomed over her and began to make it's decent right on top of Rosie. But the hammer never hit its mark, no, it remained high in the air with Bolg now wearing a slightly surprised expression.

Rosie watched in horror as Bolg’s colossal and thick structure began toppling forward towards her, she took a large step back and felt the hard frame of a wooden house dig into her back. Bolg’s form skimmed her skin as he crumpled down on the floor, Legolas’s sword piercing his heart from behind. There was a pause and the only sound that could be heard was the rasping of Rosie and the slight panting of Legolas.

“You’re bleeding,” Rosie spluttered pointing at Legolas’s nose. He looked at her in confusion then brought his slender hand to his nose pulling back to reveal the red substance he was obviously not used to seeing. “Tip your head back and hold the bridge,” Rosie sighed as she shut her eyes trying desperately to get breath back in her lungs. Legolas raised an eyebrow but did as he was told and soon the bleeding came to an end.

“Thank you,” He commented as he wiped away the last of the blood.

“No, problem,” Rosie said, finally finding her voice strong and sturdy, she then looked down at Bolg’s dead form at her feet. “You do know that it’s important you killed him, right?” Rosie asked glancing up at Legolas who showed not a flicker of emotion.

“Unfortunately, I believe I do,” Legolas said, pulling his sword out of Bolg’s body. Rosie paused, even though Legolas was an elf, he was not entirely emotionless.

“I’m proud of you,” She smiled up at him before clapping him on the arm. He looked down at her with confusion, hearing those words was not a thing which happened often, in fact…ever. Suddenly an orc cry could be heard from not too far away and Rosie remembered the situation they were in. “Hey, leggy?” She asked a smile forming on her lips.

“What?” He asked as he checked on his daggers and bow.

“Want to hunt some orc?” She said with a grin raising her blood-stained sword up, a flicker of something lit in his eyes and a small smile danced onto his lips.

“Only if you keep score,” He said as he began leading Rosie to the stables.

“What?” Rosie asked not even hiding her rather large grin.

“It’s a game me and Tauriel used to play, I intend to play it with any and all of my friends,” Legolas smiled as he pulled himself up onto a white horse.

“I would love to,” Rosie smiled as she climbed behind Legolas. “But honey, you are so going down.”

* * *

Frankie sat now in the dark, no tears left to cry. She wanted to stand, she wanted to go in and talk to Kili and just spill her guts on how she was feeling but her limbs felt like lead and her legs unsteady. When she regained her confidence and strength she fumbled up off the floor and felt her way back along the hall and into the main room. However, the room she had left was not the one she returned to. Chaos was so evident in the room before her, Tauriel watching the outside with alert eyes, Fili guiding the newly healed Kili away from the table, Oin packing herbs into his pockets, the children running around shouting to each other desperately.

“What’s going on?” She called over the noise fearing that her voice would simply be washed away in the sea of pandemonium, Tauriel turned to her.

“Did you not hear that?” She asked with wide eyes.

“Hear what- “But Frankie was cut off when a low rumble echoed through the whole house, scrap that, the whole _town_. Frankie for a moment did not understand where such a noise could stem from but then her eyes went wide with realization. A dragon was awakening.

“Come on, we must get out of here,” Tauriel instructed as she turned to leave the house.

“What of the children?” Frankie asked as she looked over at Sigrid, Tilda and Bain who stood together with their faces riddled with fear and confusion.

“They are coming with us of course,” Tauriel said before turning around, Kili, Fili and Oin not too far behind.

“Come on kids,” Frankie said taking Tilda’s hand and ushering for Sigrid and Bain to move forward and follow the others. “We’re going on a mission,”

* * *

Rosie griped tightly onto Legolas’ form, not quite enjoying the feeling of riding a horse with no saddle, but there was no time to set the white horse up properly. Legolas leaned low against the horse as they moved at an ungodly speed, the world a blur around them. They soon exited Laketown and Rosie couldn’t help but feel her heart reach out for Frankie and her friends behind her, but she was going to be okay and they were going to be okay, they just had to make it through tonight.

When they were on safe, solid ground Legolas directed the horse through the trees and soon the odd orc here and there could be discovered which Rosie would sometimes bend low behind Legolas and take out. The horse began travelling upwards as they went over a slight hill. Now they could fully see the legions of orcs all flocking to a certain point, Rosie stared at the ant-like orcs and then at Legolas who had a determined look on his face yet also a playful glint in his eye. _It’s going to be a long night._

* * *

Lungs burning, skin melting, energy dying. Cece pumped her arms and legs as she ran forward, her muscles alit with a sizzling sensation, thankfully not literally on fire. She plunged on, the mass of scales and skin looming behind her. She heard the intake of breath from Smaug and dived to the side, thankfully in time to avoid Smaug's fire, sliding across the marble floors, she found herself spinning and losing all awareness of where she was, that was until she slammed into a nearby pillar and thankfully into safety.

Cece scrambled behind the pillar just in time as Smaug let out another breath of fire in her direction, thankfully the stone pillar keeping her safe from the mouth of flames. Then, her body drowned out the voices from behind her of Smaug and Bilbo as her head felt like it had been plunged into icy water. The world began to dim around her and she could no longer see any details, just dull colour. She was suddenly aware of the bile rising in her throat and leaned over just in time to empty the contents of her barren stomach.

Propping herself back up on the pillar she took deep breaths and tried to take re-control of her body. In, out, in, out she chanted in her head as her breathing slowed to an average pace. Soon the world came spinning back to her and she found that most of her vision and hearing was back. Hearing the fumbling from behind her she turned around and saw the scene of Smaug staring at the golden statue. _It’s almost over, it’s almost…_

Smaug’s form was swept back by the liquid gold and a haunting groan and gasp for air were heard as the dragon was pulled down by the molten money. Soon, Smaug’s body was drowned down under, a peace settling over the vast hall. The silence felt odd at a moment like this, it felt unnatural. If Cece didn’t know what was about to happen she would have cheered.

Smaug then erupted from the golden pool, teeth and claws bared, neck swinging and tail flicking. He screeched a burst of incomprehensible words before Cece managed to catch a phrase which she recognized.

“I’ll show you! You can watch your friends _burn_!” He howled before his body pushed through the outer wall as if it were no more than weak glass. He jumped far into the air his wings unfurling as they did so, stretching out into the dusky night, illuminated by the cool moon. Cece limped over to where Smaug’s form had slammed through the stone and watched as Smaug’s bird-like figure gleamed in the moonlight as he swept towards Laketown.

“ _Go get him Bard_ ,”

* * *

Bard was perched on the highest stone, bow drawn, ready. He got to this position when he heard the rumbling and groaning of something monstrous come from the mountain. His hands shook slightly but other than that he showed no sign of fear. He was ready. Ready to kill the beast which slept by their town, the beast which had taken everything from his ancestors, from his family, the beast which took and never gave anything except fire and ruin. The beast Lord Girion, his ancestor, tried to kill all those years ago. Well, he was here to finish the deed.

Suddenly a large mass of something dark and red unfurled from the mountain slamming through the main entrance, throwing stone pieces the size of statues in all directions, Bard readied his arrow. The form stretched out, with its wings spread it was now twice the size, filling the sky with stretched skin. When the dragon was close enough Bard alit a normal arrow and sent it up. It plummeted through the sky and for a moment illuminated the side of the dragon with its light, and that was all Bard needed.

The black arrow now resting on his bow, he took aim, his eyes wide and alert as the fire arrow illuminated Smaug's one flaw, the missing scale. Taking a deep breath, Bard pulled back.

And took the shot.


	35. Smaug's Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -Frankie/Kili  
> -Rosie and Legolas friendship

Cece stood in the wrecked stone of the Erebor entrance, the company surrounding her as they watched the fuzzy form of Smaug fly towards Laketown. A few seconds later a red burst of light travelled far up into the sky, illuminating the red scales of Smaug. In the dim haze of light, Cece could spot something else flying upwards towards to dragon. She held her breath. The arrow appeared to hit its mark. The company cheered and Cece blew the breath from her lungs and squeezed her eyes shut, _we did it._

“Wait, what?” A dwarfish voice called from her side and she snapped her eyes back up to the scene. Horror slapped her and she felt breath leave her body, Smaug was still making his way towards Laketown.

“Did Bard miss?” Someone else called and Cece began to panic. _We did not plan for this; how can we kill Smaug now? We have no black arrow, it is lost. Smaug will destroy Laketown, he will destroy them all…Frankie…Rosie…Fili._

“No!” An excited voice suddenly piped up, “Look! He’s wobbling!” Cece turned back to the scene, hope spreading like wildfire throughout her chest. And sure enough, Smaug’s form was swaying from side to side, unsteady.

“He’s going to fall!” Another voice called out. Cece felt a grin break out on her face followed by a frown.

“He’s nearing Laketown,” She said, “He’s too close!” She suddenly cried, realizing what was about to happen she ran forward before a pair of arms wrapped around her waist.

A burst of light filled the night as fire erupted from the darkness and hit the first edges of Lake Town. Smaug pulled the fire in one straight line to the other side of Lake Town before Smaug’s form clawed upwards, pausing in mid-air and slowly making its descent to the water. Cece cried out as she watched the fire spread in Lake Town, trying with all her might to fight the strong arms holding her.

“No!” She howled into the night, the fire was now spreading in all directions, unmercifully lighting all the wooden homes on fire. “ _No, no, no_ ,” She breathed as the night was filled with the screams and cries of the men and women of Laketown. The men and women she had sworn to protect.

Feeling her legs give out she crumpled like paper, her body starting to shake and sobs escaping from her lips. _We could have stopped this…I could have stopped this. One job, one fucking job._ She sobbed, her voice straining under such raw emotion. Her cries joined those of Laketown except hers were not of pain or agony, but of premature grief.

* * *

Rosie felt the heat before she saw it. Suddenly, the air around her became thicker and harder to breathe, she felt her body begin to sweat and her hair stuck to her neck and forehead. Looking at Legolas she could see that his face was lit up by a warm light as he took down yet another orc. They were now on foot, working as a team to take down as many orcs as they physically could.

Rotating around, Rosie saw the trees were lit up, almost as if the sun was rising, but it was the middle of the night, there were no signs of sun, no signs of daylight. That could only mean one thing.

“Laketown’s on fire!” She called at Legolas once their area was cleared, he turned back to her, an unreadable expression on his face. Without saying anything he ran up to a particularly large tree and with agility and speed, climbed to the very top. Rosie gave him a moment to view what was going on before she called up. “What’s going on?” A chill of nostalgia running down her sweaty back, this moment being far too similar to that when she looked up at Frankie _…Frankie…_

“I can see Smaug’s form, he is dead,” Legolas said, his eyes still fixed on the thrumming of light, Rosie felt slightly more relieved. “Laketown is on fire, as you said,” Legolas said, a note of sorrow in his voice as he danced back down the tree. Rosie and Legolas stood in silence for a moment.

“Do we turn back?” Rosie asked finding her voice unsteady as she thought of her friends who were staying in Lake Town. She understood that they could all handle themselves and if anyone was going to survive it would be them, but sometimes you can’t help but wonder. She was not just worried about her friends, she was worried about the men and women of Laketown who were now suffering _…because of her._

“We can,” Legolas thought, “But we can be no help to them.” He said sorrowfully. There was another pause.

“Well we can’t just stand here,” Rosie found herself chocking out as her vision became blurred. Legolas looked at her with an honest look of sadness and understanding.

“No,” He hummed sadly, “But…” He continued after a moment, confidence growing in his voice. He didn’t need to even finish his sentence, Rosie allowed her rage at Smaug and the orcs overtake her. Giving Legolas a determined look she turned to the woods before her and raised her sword high and ran, her war cry echoing through the trees. It’s funny how quickly this world can change your emotions.

* * *

Frankie was sitting in the small, wooden boat with Tauriel, Fili, Kili, Oin, Talia, Sigrid and Bain when the fire first struck. There was a whooshing sound of air and she watched as a dark mass of scales swooped low above her head. Thankfully, they had just missed Smaug’s line of fire as it struck the buildings a little way to their right.

Frankie immediately went to protect the three younglings and the still rather pale Kili who was equally trying to protect her. Then the thudding of something large hitting the water echoed throughout the valley and Frankie turned to the sky where she no longer saw the form of Smaug. _Oh god, oh god, what have I done this time?_

The howls and screams that reverberated around her were enough to haunt her dreams for many years to come. Screams of children and adults alike, all of them trying to flee the burning town, their burning town. The fire danced like a ballet of blazing sparks, spreading like a disease and growing like a flower. She wanted to scream and she wanted to cry, she wanted to help these people and just take away their pain, even if it meant that she herself would have to endure it.

The fact was, she could no longer sit in the wretched boat whilst innocent people suffered so greatly around her… _because_ of her. She stared down at the members of their small group, all of them wearing similar expressions of grief and misery, some of them turned away from her so she could not see their emotions.

Whilst looking around she made eye contact with Kili, who half-lay-half-sat in the boat, one of his hands resting against his side where his wound used to be. Frankie did not look away, she did not feel embarrassed, and she did not feel scared. She looked and Kili and looked for his comfort, for his own fire which was not cruel like the one she was surrounded within that very moment. And as she expected, she found it.

Kili gave her an unreadable look yet Frankie felt so overcome with emotions by it. When she looked at Kili, she didn’t feel like he could take away her pain, no, she felt like he could help her face it. He gave her confidence and strength, and that was all she needed.

All she needed to lean forward and press her lips firmly against his.

* * *

_**Some hours later…** _

Cece found herself once again sitting on what remained of Erebor with what remained of the company, however, now they were sitting a distance away from the main halls, on an overlook where they had a better view of Laketown. They had been sitting in silence for the past few hours, watching as the flames overtook Laketown, watching as the people fled from the town and watching as others were left behind. Bard had joined them, a desolate look on his face as he watched the people he had lived with all these years suffer so greatly.

“Poor souls,” Balin muttered, the company silently agreed.

“Rosie and Frankie are down there,” Cece breathed, her voice still raw and hoarse from her crying earlier, “And Fili and Kili and Oin...” She continued. Some members of the company squeezed their eyes shut, “And the men and women of Laketown. They’re all down there too…” She whispered, her eyes never leaving the burning blaze that was Laketown, now stripped of everything living.

“We won,” Ori said softly, “Yet it feels like we’ve lost everything.” At this Cece wrenched her gaze away from Laketown and towards their so-called leader. He stood with the company, yet his gaze was not on the wreckage of Laketown, his gaze was on Erebor which stood tall behind them.

Cece felt nothing by the sight of this. She was so emotionally drained from what she had just been through it was hard for her to imagine that they would soon have to go through _The Battle of Five Armies_ , and to think that not too long ago she laughed and sang in front of a fire, careless, no idea in what this world truly had in store for her.

Even though Smaug was defeated and they had reclaimed Erebor, she felt no happiness or joy within her. The fact that she was now going to have to deal with a gold sick Thorin was the only thing she could think about. If only she could see her friends…

* * *

Rosie sat with Legolas on the banks of the lake, the forest behind her. She cupped her hand and gathered the icy water before splashing it onto her face. It had been endless hours of confronting her rage and taking it out on wretched orcs and she felt exhausted, yet a settling peace also rest within her mind. Legolas sat not too far behind her, legs crossed as he forged some new arrows. Sighing heavily, she sat down next to him and watched as his long slender fingers slowly formed perfect arrow out of the wooden branch he had discovered.

“So, what now?” Rosie asked as she looked over to the other side of the lake where she could spot the remaining members of Laketown gathering on the shore. Legolas paused with his crafting.

“We go back and help them,” He said, his fingers getting moving back into their rhythmical motion.

"Now?" She asked.

"No," He replied not looking at her, “you are tired and need a moment to rest," He said, starting on a new arrow. Rosie would have argued back, but she didn't have the energy to.

"So..." She hummed, "What's going on with you and Tauriel?" She asked nonchalantly, Legolas stopped crafting.

"I do not understand," He simply replied, looking out at the water.

"Well...I'm just asking, how are your feelings for Tauriel?" She asked turning to the blonde haired elf.

"Is it appropriate to talk about such a topic?" He asked, still not looking at her.

"Where I'm from, it's very natural," She smiled encouragingly, "In fact, we find that saying things out loud can sound a lot different than in your head," She said. Legolas paused and placed the arrow to the side before bringing his knees up and casually resting his arms on them whilst looking out at the calm water.

"I feel...okay, I guess," He said, it was strange to hear him speak so… _normally_ , "I mean, Tauriel clearly does not return my feelings for her, but that is okay…I guess,"

"What about Kili?" Rosie pushed further, looking as well out at the water, Legolas stiffened.

"He is a dwarf. Nothing will change that," Legolas said firmly, "But...he makes Tauriel smile," He continued, his features softening, "I just do not wish to see her heart be broken," He said sadly.

"What do you mean?" Rosie snapped turning to her friend, "Because if you think Kili will die or something you're wrong,"

"No," Legolas turning to her with a sad expression, "Like Tauriel does not return my feelings for her, Kili does not return Tauriel's feelings for him,"

"Okay, I don't know where you pulled that from but they love each other, okay? It's clear as daylight," Rosie huffed and turned away.

"Maybe in your story, they loved each other," Legolas thought, "But that was a story where you weren't here, or Cece or Frankie," Legolas trailed off leaving Rosie in a state of confusion.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She said, turning to face him.

"Come on," Legolas merely replied standing and turning to look down at Rosie, "We've had a long enough break,"

"No, no, no, we're not going anywhere till you tell me what you meant by that last statement," Rosie blurted standing, Legolas simply turned and started walking away. "Leggo! Come back here! Leggo!... _elves_ ,"


	36. Rejoined

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -Frankie/Kili  
> -Fili/Cece  
> -Rosie/Legolas friendship

Legolas had stood for a few minutes in the woods, calling out different noises that caused Rosie to raise her eyebrows here and there. But soon the pearly white horse they rode on only a few hours ago, slowly trotted their way towards them. Rosie couldn’t help but feel so honoured that the horse was in fact still here and was willing to come back to them, these animals were not like the ones back on earth.

They climbed the horse and Legolas started to steer the horse to trot over to where the remaining men and women of Laketown were gathering. Rosie suddenly realized how desperate she was to see her friends again, to make sure that they were okay and to show them that _she_ was okay.

Legolas did not want to tire the horse further after the sprinting it had done yesterday, so he allowed to horse to go at a steady pace, meaning by the time the horse made it to the start of the gathering, the sun blazed harshly from the centre of the sky.

“We look for the others, then we help,” Legolas said quietly to Rosie as they made their way through the wrecks and ruins of people’s lives. People turned and stared up at them with awe and wonder, Rosie could almost hear their expectant thoughts. Rosie was once again overcome with emotion as she watched people claw at each other for blankets to simply stay warm in the chilly winter breeze. “Over there,” Legolas almost whispered as he nodded to where there was a group of people who seemed to be rather small compared to the rest. Rosie felt the excitement course through her, and she could no longer sit patiently on this horse, carefully and slowly she swung herself off and began sprinting over to her friends.

Before Frankie even knew that she was there, Rosie tackled her with a bone-crushing hug. Frankie looked down for a moment before seeing the brown mop that was Rosie’s hair and found herself returning the hug with a slightly desperate feel.

“I’m so glad you are okay,” Rosie breathed as she pulled back and looked at her friend. “All of you,” She said turning to the three dwarves, the children and even the two elves.

“You were gone for so long, I didn’t know what happened,” Frankie murmured, finding that she wanted to pull her friend back into a hug.

“Legolas and I went to go hunt some orc,” Rosie said, a smile breaking out on her face, Legolas simply rolled his eyes but his large grin betrayed him. “Bolg’s dead,” Rosie then announced.

“Wait, seriously?” Kili asked stepping forward.

“Yes, and we owe it to Legolas,” Rosie said motioning to where the elf stood. His arms were folded but something thrummed from him, _proudness_? “Remember that okay?” Rosie suddenly continued.

“Remember what?” Kili asked.

“That it was Legolas, an elf, who killed Bolg and ultimately saved…” Rosie trailed off realizing what she was about to say.

“Saved what?” Kili questioned further, his brows furrowed.

“Come on brother,” Fili said motioning him to the boat, the only dwarf who knew what Rosie was about to say, “Questions later, we need to reach Erebor,” He said, but when Kili had turned away he threw Rosie a look, Rosie returned it. Kili, Fili and Oin went to a rather large boat and began pushing it out towards the lake with some difficulty. Rosie smiled at Frankie before turning to Legolas.

“I think this is where I leave you, friend,” Rosie smiled up at Legolas who returned her smile.

“I believe that we will meet again,” Legolas replied, Rosie grinned.

“Of course, of course,” Rosie smiled before turning to Tauriel. “I’d just like to say thank you, for saving Kili, I mean. Even though he’s a…and well you’re a…” Rosie trailed off, thinking of the right thing to say.

“You looked past that and did what’s right,” Frankie took over, “And that meant our friend didn’t have to die,” She smiled, genuinely apricating the tall, auburn elf who stood before her.

“It was my pleasure,” Tauriel nodded a smile dancing on her flawless features, yet her eyes were slightly sad.

“We will see you again, don’t worry,” Rosie winked before turning around and helping her friends push the overly large boat into the water. Frankie gave them an appreciative smile before following the others into the water. The group managed to get the boat going before they all hopped in and used the ores already there to push even further away from land. Rosie turned back and stared at the two tall figures who stood on the dry land, she smiled and waved at her elf friends who smiled back. Then Rosie and Frankie turned to the halls of Erebor where they would face the remains of the mad heir to the throne.

* * *

Cece sat with her head in her hands not too far away from the main halls. She couldn’t bear to even stand in that room, to be there, with _him_. Thorin had changed, for the worse. He was now more stubborn than ever, he cared for nothing except the sea of jewels for which he was surrounded with and stone which was ironically lost in it. He snapped and growled like an animal and it appeared that they did not need Smaug to have a dragon under the mountain.

“Come on! _Find it_!” Came his distant voice, Cece buried her head deeper into her arms, trying desperately to drown his hollow voice out. Thorin had members of the company on all fours and bending over backwards searching for that futile rock, Cece refused to even help, she kept in the shadows where Thorin wouldn’t see her through his glass pane of sickness. Then, a small tinkle of multiple footsteps was heard in the distance, Cece perked up.

Jumping up from where she was perched she ran through only the halls which she was familiar with and heard the pitter patter of running grow closer and closer. As she burst around a corner a group of familiar faces greeted her with wide smiles. Without saying anything she grabbed her two best friends and tightened a vice-like grip around them.

“Hey Cece,” Rosie breathed in her ear and Cece suddenly had the urge to cry again, she pulled back.

“I’m so glad you’re okay. Bard shot Smaug but in his last moments he reached Laketown. When I saw the fire, I didn’t…I mean I couldn’t…and you…” She trailed off, her words leaving her. Frankie and Rosie simply gave her understanding looks.

“We know,” Frankie murmured before pulling her friend back into a hug. Then there was a clearing of a throat and Cece turned and was met with the grinning faces of Kili, Oin and…

“ _Fili_ ,” She breathed, her body sparking back into what felt like life as she gazed upon the blonde prince. She felt her heart rate pick up and the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Fili gave her the most loving look she had ever seen, a look of relief and even a touch of sadness.

Without any words being passed between them Cece ran towards him in what felt like slow motion and leapt into his open arms. He grabbed her and held her close, swinging around slightly, a grin slapped onto his features. Forgetting about where she was and who she was with she crashed her lips down onto his with a touch of desperateness and lost herself in that moment. Fili then set her down carefully on the floor as if he was afraid that he would break her and took her face tenderly in his hands.

“I, was, so, worried, about, you,” Fili said in-between a trail of soft kisses on Cece’s face. He kissed under her left eye and then under her right before kissing her nose, her forehead and then bringing his lips back to her own. Cece wrapped her own dainty hands around his and stared up at him, a warm blush now spreading through her cheeks.

“Um, guys?...Hello?” Frankie called over at the lovesick pair. Cece smiled and turned to her friend but did not leave Fili’s side.

“So, brother?” Kili said with a grin, “Anything to say,” Kili smiled, his expression evidently happy for his brother.

“You can shut up, don’t think I’m the only one keeping secrets,” Fili retorted to his brother causing a red pulse to throb in Kili’s cheeks.

“Wait, what?” Rosie intervened and eyebrow raised. “Kili, what you’ve been getting up to?” Rosie asked as she looks at the brown-haired prince.

“I think it might have something to do with a certain elf-” Cece began but was interrupted by Fili.

“No, no, not an elf…” He trailed off, Cece’s face snapped with realization.

“Wait! Frankie! What the hell happened between you two?” Cece yelped. It was now Frankie’s turn to blush.

“ _Frankie_?” Rosie snapped her head to her other best friend, “But I thought… _oh_ ,” She dragged out, realization spreading on Rosie’s face, “ _It all makes sense_ ,”

“What does?” Fili asked.

“What Legolas was talking about,” She said as if it were obvious before realizing that it was in fact not, “Never mind, I’ll tell you later,” She gestured towards her friends before a grin slipped on her face. “ _Awe_! My friends are all loved up!” She said happily.

“Yeah come on Rosie,” Frankie smiled from where Kili was snaking his arm around her waist, “Join the crew,”

“I’d rather not thanks,” Rosie brushed it off.

“Why not?” Cece asked.

“Because I actually intend to stick to the agreement,” Rosie rolled her eyes.

“What agreement?” Frankie asked.

“You know, the one about not falling in love with anyone from this world, at least not until the story ends,” she said.

“But the story has ended lass,” Oin spoke up, reminding everyone of his presence. Rosie realized her mistake and a sad glint appeared in her eyes.

“No, Oin. The story has not ended,” Fili said sadly, his eyes lowered.

“How would you know?” Frankie asked surprised that Fili had responded to Oin’s statement. Fili opened his mouth to speak before quickly shutting it again, Cece intervened.

“I may or may not have told him… _everything_ ,” Cece blushed.

“ _May or may not have_?” Rosie asked slowly.

“Yes,” Cece continued, “May or may not have, depending on your reactions,”

“And have you?” Frankie asked. Cece paused.

“No…”

“ _Cece_!”

“What?” There was a pause as no one spoke. Cece looked up at her two friends who were looking at each other, having some sort of private conversation in their heads.

“Look, it’s fine that you told him okay, that’s not the problem,” Frankie said turning to Cece, a tired expression on her face.

“It’s just…you could have told us, you know?” Rosie continued, Cece nodded with understanding.

“Look, I know I should have told you guys and I’m sorry for that I really am. But when I told him, that was between him and me, something rather private, and I know that’s not an excuse but it’s not meant to be,” She said. There was a pause as the three girls looked at each other.

“Oh, forget it,” Frankie murmured as she pulled her friend back into a hug, Rosie joining not a second later, “I’m too tired to care about who knows what right now anyway,”

“Well now that’s all cleared up, should we go and meet the others,” Oin said happily clapping his hands together. The girls pulled apart and smiled at the dwarf, their arms still half wrapped around each other. Then the pitter-patter of a Hobbit’s feet throughout the halls and the girl's smiles disappeared pretty quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You'll hopefully get another chapter at the end of today because I didn't post one yesterday, sorry <3


	37. Erebor Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -Frankie/Kili  
> -Thorin/Rosie

Bilbo plunged around the corner, slightly pink-cheeked and came to a skidding stop when he spotted the group.

“Mr Boggins!” Kili called happily, if this was a few months ago, the girls might have smiled.

“Yes, yes,” Bilbo heaved as he bent double trying to catch his breath. “Look, you’ve got to come quickly, you’ve got to see this,” Bilbo said, pointing a finger to the direction he just came from.

“See what?” Fili asked, pulling his arm away from Cece.

“Thorin,” Cece spoke up, looking at the floor.

“What about him?” Oin asked. As if on cue Bilbo, Cece, Frankie and Rosie all spoke at the same time.

“ _He’s sick_ ,” Bilbo gave Frankie and Rosie a weird look as if he didn’t understand how they knew.

“Let’s go,” Cece said quickly and began jogging back through the halls, everyone not too far behind. They wove their way through the dwarven halls until they entered a balcony with an overlook of the jewels, they came to a halt.

The small group watched as a form emerged from the shadows and made its way across the thrumming gold of Erebor. Without the light even falling onto his features, you could tell it was Thorin. By the way he walked and moved around the piles and piles of gold it was obvious. But it wasn’t just that, something radiated from him, something dark and unknown that caused your stomach to twist and turn.

“ _Gold_ ,” Came a whisper and for a moment Rosie wasn’t sure that was the mountain talking or him. “Gold beyond measure,” Squinting slightly into the darkened halls she watched as her friend’s body moved into the light, looking at one thing. “Beyond sorrow, and grief,” It was in this moment that Thorin acknowledged their presence, as he stared up at him, his blue eyes now dark and unrecognizable. “Behold, the great treasure horde of Thor,” Thorin continued as if it was something to be in awe of.

Then in a flicker of movement, something whizzed through the air, aimed at their group. Fili brought his hands up just in time and caught the red ruby which Thorin had thrown. He looked down at it with a pause before up at his uncle.

“Welcome, my sister-son, to the kingdom, of _Erebor_! Thorin breathed cried raising his arms as he basked in the sickness of his grandfather. The small group did not say anything in return, simply looked down at their friend with confusion and despair. Slowly, Fili, Kili and Oin began moving away leaving the three girls and the hobbit to look down at Thorin.

Rosie thought that Thorin wouldn’t be too appreciative of his nephews walking in another direction from the gold but as Rosie once again looked down, she saw that Thorin did not even notice their departure. Something within her cracked. Slowly, Frankie and Cece turned and left, leaving Bilbo as Rosie’s only company.

“What are we going to do Bilbo?” She sighed, keeping her voice low, Bilbo looked taken aback.

“We can do something?” Bilbo asked, surprised.

“Of course we can,” Rosie said, a touch of sadness in her voice, “He needs us, and we’re going to be there for him,” She continued whilst watching as Thorin picked a large clear jewel up, laughed to himself before chucking it carelessly back. The two stood for a moment, each of them thinking their own thoughts before Rosie turned to go. The Hobbit also turned around and began heading back down the halls, but not before Rosie caught him patting his coat slightly, just a flicker of the hand. And Rosie was reminded of what they were _supposed_ to do.

* * *

The small group re-joined with the others with hugs and cheers before they were each sat down to rest their aching feet and talk of what happened the previous evening. Once, all stories were told and accounts spoken of, the company found themselves chatting about less important things and more things of friendship and inside jokes. Frankie at some point found her body become droopy and her limbs heavy and decided that it was in fact time for bed. Bidding her farewells, she started to make her way back through the halls before realising she had no idea where she was going. Sighing she was just about to give up all hope when someone spoke up from behind her.

“It is dangerous for pretty girls, such as yourself, to be walking around alone so late at night,” Came the voice of Kili as she spun around, prepared for an attack. “Sorry,” He said eyeing up Frankie’s drawn bow, “I did not mean to startle you, however, may I point out that you’re getting rather good with that bow,” He smiled and Frankie found herself smiling too and lowering her bows.

“I got lost,” She said simply, “Know how to find a bed around here?” She asked, and didn’t notice the blush which arose in Kili’s cheeks.

“I would love to impress you with my mountain knowledge but I know just as much as you do,” Kili sighed as he walked down a corridor, Frankie right behind him.

“Wait, didn’t you…” She trailed off.

“No. I was born in the Blue Mountains, a few years after the battle for Moria,” Kili hummed and Frankie was surprised by the fact that she actually knew what he was talking about.

“Ahh,” She said sleepily as they walked into a brighter room, where streams of moonlight pierced the room. They stood in silence for a while, simply looking up at the beautiful architecture of the dwarves.

“But I did hear all the stories and songs about this place,” Kili broke the silence as he placed a hand on an old wall as if he had lived here his whole life.

“I’m guessing there were lots of those,” Frankie hummed as she font herself sliding down onto the floor.

“Oh yes,” Kili said as he too joined Frankie on the floor. “Songs of good things and bad, I grew up with them you know. Mother would always sing them, not to me or Fili though, to herself,” He paused, lost in thought, “I think she blames herself,”

“Blames herself for what?” Frankie asked, intrigued.

“Father’s death,” Kili said curtly and Frankie understood. Another pause. “I wish she didn’t though,” Kili continued, “I wish she would just let him go, but…she refuses. I guess that’s why it’s so important me and Fili make it home,” Kili wondered aloud. Frankie felt something hard form in her throat as she thought of Dis, no husband, no brothers, no parents, no sons.

“Blame is a funny thing,” Frankie spoke up, it was now Kili’s turn to be intrigued.

“How?” He asked.

“Not funny ha-ha, but funny as in peculiar,” She explained as the moonlight moved and illuminated some shadows. “Blame is taking responsibility for an action, good or bad, and sometimes it does not even have to be true for it to be…” She trailed off, “Sorry, I must be making no sense,” She hummed, she was opening a side of her that she had never really opened to anyone but Cece and Rosie before, “I’m quite useless at this hour,”

“No, no,” Kili surprised her by saying, “See, there’s no way mum could have in any way caused dad’s death, yet she still feels she could have done more,” He said almost as if the link between his brain and mouth had crumbled away. As if every thought that formed and moulded in his head, immediately tumbled from his lips.

A silence once again blanketed the room but this time a silence of thought and wonder as the two sat alone in the dark on the cold floor, their bodied keeping each other warm.

“I’m happy you understand,” Kili said softly, “Some people, because I’m the heir to the throne, would just tell me to stop thinking of such things,” Frankie frowned.

“Just because a certain blood runs through your veins does not mean you are de-humanized…or de-dwarfinised?” She said loudly and clearly. “You have feelings and thoughts just like the rest of us,”

“Yeah…” Kili trailed off. Frankie smiled in the darkness and once again found her limbs growing heavier and heavier and her eyelids slowly closing. It is a shame that this happened. A shame that she could not see the young dwarf prince reaching out for her in the dark.

* * *

A few days had passed since the small group had arrived at Erebor, and the company has spent the entire time on their hands and knees searching for the Arkenstone. Thorin would stand above them the entire time, constantly calling out, asking if anyone had found it. Hope began to run thin and people began to wonder whether the stone was truly in the halls. However, it did not matter what they thought, only what Thorin’s sick mind came to decide.

The girls were meeting in secret, late at night when everyone was supposedly asleep. They were planning what they should and shouldn’t do. So far, they had decided that they would only place something in action when Bard came to the mountain (Bard left to travel back to the town and find his children a few days ago).

In the meantime, they would make small attempts to try and talk to Thorin, to somehow lure him out of this horrific mindset. However, their attempts were always cut short by Thorin’s short replies and lack of participation in the conversations. It appeared that they had no other choice but to give up until Rosie managed to catch him when he was alone and away from the gold.

“Hey, Thorin!” She called causally as she saw his figure move in one of the hallways. The figure stopped in its tracks and turned to her, almost in a guilty manner.

“Rosie,” He replied as he stepped out into the light, “What can I do for you?”

“Nothing. Just wanted to talk,” She falsely smiled as she moved closer towards him. “Walk with me,” She motioned as she began to shuffle down a corridor, Thorin paused before following. “It’s weird to think that we’re actually here, the quest is over,” She pondered.

“Yes,” He answered curtly and Rosie felt her chest ache, she didn’t know if she could part-take in another one-sided conversation. “I will miss those late nights around the fire though,” Rosie’s heart sped up as she turned and looked up at Thorin, it was the first sentence she had heard from him that did not have the words ‘gold’ or ‘Arkenstone’ in them.

“Yes,” She found herself almost laughing, “I would love to do another karaoke night,”

“Karaoke?” Thorin questioned a small chuckle in his words, Rosie’s heart skipped a beat.

“Yes, it’s singing without the recorded lyrics…it’s doesn’t matter,” Rosie shook her head.

“It matters to me,” Thorin said softly and Rosie instantly felt a bolt of happiness hit her body.

“The actual word ‘Karaoke’ means empty orchestra in a language called Japanese,” Rosie continued, “Oh sorry, an orchestra is- “

“I know what it is, you told me, remember?” Thorin stopped at smiled at her, Rosie felt something grow in her cheeks. “ _Empty orchestra_ ,” Thorin wondered aloud and continued walking, “It’s beautiful,” He smiled again, “How many languages does your world have?” He then asked.

“Oh, hundreds and thousands I’m guessing, I mean I don’t know the exact number but, there are lots,” Rosie replied, “Where I grew up, we were taught any four languages of our choice we could take French, German, Spanish or Italian,” She smiled.

“What did you take?”

“Well I took Italian because I thought it was beautiful but I probably ended up knowing more in French considering I took it for so many years,” she said.

“Say something,” He said.

“What should I say?” She smiled back.

“Anything,”

“Um. _Bonjour, je m’appelle Rosie et j’ai dix-huit ans aussi mon anniversaire c’est le cinq juin_ ,” Rosie said, pausing where she was unsure, “ _J’adore les films de science-fiction comme Star Wars et j’adore ca parce que c’est interessant_ ,”

“That language is spoken beautifully,” Thorin smiled.

“Thank you,” Rosie blushed. “That was in fact, French,”

“You’re going to have to teach me someday,” Thorin smiled.

“Only if you teach me Khudzul,” Rosie laughed playfully before jumping up and sitting on a stone wall, Thorin laughed.

“Fine, I’ll teach you right now,” He said joining her.

“Wait…seriously?” She asked excitedly.

“Yes,” He said.

“Okay, go for it,” She smiled.

“Okay, repeat after me. _Vem_ ,” Thorin said.

“ _Vem_ ,” Rosie repeated.

“Good, that means hello,” Thorin said whilst Rosie nodded, “Okay, _gamut manan_ ,” Rosie once again repeated what he said exactly. “Very good, that means good day,” A few hours later and Rosie had managed to pull together enough sayings to start off a conversation.

“ _Vem_ ,” She said.

“ _Vem_ ,” Thorin replied.

" _Targ menu bundul gazaru_ (Your beard speaks of wisdom)," Thorin smiled.

" _Gelek menu caragu rukhs_ (You smell like orc dung)," Rosie said with a smile and Thorin tried to hide his own.

"I think you've got the wrong phrase," He said, an ache growing in his cheeks from trying not to grin. Rosie's looked confused for a moment and the realization swept her features.

"Oh! _Men gajamu_ (I apologise)," She said a grin slipping on her features.

" _Men kemgu gajum menu_ (I accept your apology)," He smiled back, his grin now free from restraint.

"I'll pick it up in no time," She laughed as she stretched out her legs.

"Sure you will," He laughed leaning back on the stone behind his head. They sat in silence for a moment, enjoying each other's company. "Can you tell me something?" He suddenly spoke up, his voice now serious, "When you fell into the water and Frankie needed to save you, she talked of...a promise. Can you tell me..." He trailed off a question in his voice. It appeared that the king had been thinking of this moment, I mean, why else would he remember it?

"Of course," She said softly, her own voice too growing quiet. "You know that Cece was...sick...a few years ago," She said quietly and Thorin shook his head but Rosie continued, “Doesn’t really matter, isn’t really my place to tell to be honest…anyways…me and Frankie, we toughened up, you know? We were like her bodyguards or something, we wouldn't let anything, and I mean _anything_ , hurt her during this time. We couldn't, we felt like it was our responsibility you know," She said and Thorin let her soft words wash over him. "Well, around this time...a lot of bad things just sort of starting happening I guess. I mean these were all bad events that could have really happened to anyone, a family member dying, a bad test at school, but for me, they just seemed to all start happening at once. And I guess I just didn't get the time in-between bad events to grieve and...sort myself out. I guess that’s why jam-packed schedules in hopes of going to Yale aren’t really helpful.

"So, I began just not wanting to wake up and go outside, not wanting another bad thing to happen because, to me, that happened every day. And soon I did, I just stop getting out of bed I mean, I stopped doing a lot of things actually...But the problem was, I never told anyone. I never chose to share problems, to allow myself to be weak for once. Because I felt like I needed to be the strong one, I needed to be the one who was there for her friends, who was the shoulder to cry on, you know? I didn't _allow_ myself to, hurt.

"I kept everything to myself, I pushed my thoughts and feelings to the pit of my gut and moved on. And eventually, I stopped feeling the pain, because everything just...kind of went numb I guess. And that's scary, you wouldn't think it was, but it is. It's scary for something to happen and you just, don't react, you just don't feel. So, I made myself feel, I made, myself...hurt. Because, pain, out of all the emotions, is the one that we feel the easiest. I'm not going to tell you how I did it, but I did it, and that's the problem. I was only forced to stop when Frankie found me one day, she found me in my bathroom, I was...

"Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if she didn't find me...if she didn't stop...That's when she made me, make that promise. She picked me up and brushed me off and helped me, and so did Cece, when she found out. I've kept that promise, I intend to, for as long as I can," Rosie wasn't looking at Thorin anymore, she was looking at her hands as she turned a small rock from the floor over and over, Thorin, however, could not pull his eyes from her. He wanted to talk, he wanted to help, he wanted to take away these thoughts and feelings and throw them into a black labyrinth of darkness. "I was sick Thorin," She continued and Thorin now felt these words directed towards him, as if they were in his ears, "I was sick in the mind, I couldn't tell what was good and was bad, what was health and what was illness. And on the day Frankie found me, I made a promise, but this one was to myself. And it was that I will never let that happen to me or my friends... _ever_ ,"

Thorin looked away.


	38. Misguided

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -Rosie/Thorin  
> -Fili/Cece  
> -Frankie/Kili

After Rosie and Thorin’s conversation, Rosie had decided that Thorin was not in fact sick. When he had talked to her, his eyes were clear and he smiled and laughed, therefore he could not be sick. When she revealed this news to Frankie and Cece, she was surprised when neither of them agreed. Rosie had gotten angry with them and had stormed off, believing them to be inconsiderate and ignorant. The two girls hadn’t talked to their best friend for three days now, and they were beginning to worry.

“Guys, I’m telling you. Whatever’s gotten into Thorin has gotten into Rosie!” Frankie sighed as she paced, angrily around the chamber.

“Maybe not gold sickness, but…something,” Cece corrected from where she was leaning against a stone wall.

“But why Rosie, she has no association with Erebor,” Fili sighed as he ran his hands, tiredly down his face.

“I don’t know somethings…happened I guess,” Frankie once again sighed as she came to an abrupt halt in front of the small gathering.

“Well, we need to cure what Thorin has then,” Kili said, “If we can cure what he has, then whatever she has can be cured,”

“That’s where our problem lies,” Cece said sadly, her eyes staring at the bed, but her mind seemed far away.

“We think that whatever Thorin has, Rosie could be the one to cure it,” Frankie huffed as she joined the group on the floor.

“Why?” Kili asked his brows furrowed, the girls paused.

“Just an instinct,” Cece said and Kili let it go. However, Fili, unlike his brother, understood why the girls had thought that this would be the solution. He too had seen the looks both Thorin and Rosie had thrown each other when they thought no one could see, or even subconsciously. Something unidentified hung in the air around Thorin and Rosie, something élite.

“Look, we need to help our friends, no matter what the cause,” Frankie summed up and the others were quick to agree.

“So, what’s the plan,” Fili asked and the girls shared a look.

“Well in the movies, Thorin pulls himself out of the dragon sickness with the help of some words by Dwalin, however, he does this far too late. If we can do this now, if we can somehow trigger Thorin to pull himself out of this, then we can move on to the next part of the story,” Cece explains, careful of her words, understanding that Kili still did not know the full story.

“But we have tried talking to him, it just doesn’t work, it’s like talking to a wall,” Kili huffed.

“But maybe we have to stop being soft and sweet with him, maybe we have to be harsh and unloving with him,” Cece wondered.

“That could work…” Fili wondered as he began to think. The four friends then buried themselves in their thoughts, trying to come up with a solution. Then Frankie’s eyes lit up.

“I have a plan,”

* * *

Rosie once again stood in the shadows and watched as Thorin walked along the piles of money. She didn’t know how she felt towards this, it was like her body was split almost perfectly in half, one side of her told her that he was sick whilst another declared that it was merely the joy of being home once more. She wanted to look away and she wanted to stay at the same time. She wanted to be quiet and she wanted to scream. She was split in two.

Then, Thorin seemed to jolt and look up at a certain direction, fixated like a lion who has found prey. He moved swiftly down a corridor, Rosie paused before she stepped out into the light and followed him. She was surprised that Thorin did not realize her presence behind him as her footsteps echoed throughout the halls, however, Thorin appeared to be lost in a mindset of his own.

Thorin then exited the corridor into the entrance hall as Rosie realized and he moved towards to gaping hole where Smaug had come crashing through. He looked out from the mountain, his eyes fixed on something in the distance. Then he cried out.

“The men and women of Laketown are marching on us!” He called almost as if the words were bitter in his mouth, “We must build a wall and block them out!” He cried out as he turned around frantically and began looking at the assortment of broken stones around him. Rosie then chose to step out into the light.

“They only wish for some shelter,” She said, her voice ringing out along the halls where members of the company were beginning to appear.

“No, Rosie,” He said, looking up at her with wild eyes, “They wish for war, for ruin…they wish to take the mountain, the gold,” He hissed before he turned to where there was now a small gathering of dwarves. “All of you, get to work!” He cried before he turned around and stormed away and up the entrance where he would get a better view.

The company shared a glance between themselves before they walked around the stones, viewing what was there. As the dwarves began to make plans on how they were going to build the wall Rosie watched as Thorin clawed his way to the top of the entrance and looked out with mad eyes, she once again felt a far too familiar ache in her chest, but yet she did not worry. For there was nothing to worry about. Right?

* * *

“Come on we have to go,” Fili called as he entered the room, more talking to Kili then anyone.

“What, why?” Kili asked, standing up from where he was perched on a chair with Frankie and Cece.

“Thorin is building a wall at the entrance and wants everyone to help,” Fili said simply before turning to go.

“Wait, why are we building a wall?” Kili asked.

“Thorin is claiming that the men and women of Laketown are marching on us this very second,” Fili sighed, almost as this mere thought made him tired.

“What?” Kili breathed, confused, “If the men and women of Laketown are heading for us, they are merely coming because they need food and shelter. Their homes have been burnt to the ground! They have nothing!” Kili shouted, angry.

“It’s his sickness Kili!” Frankie too yelled as she stood. “He doesn’t know what’s the truth. All he knows is that there is gold in this godforsaken mountain and that he needs to protect it!”

“But are we seriously going to go down there and help him with this cockamamie idea?” Kili called back, with him being so young for a dwarf it was obvious that he still did not understand that sometimes you must do the wrong thing for it all to be okay.

“What choice do we have?” Cece asked, joining in the discussion. “If we refuse, he might even kick us out of the mountain,”

“He wouldn’t dare,” Kili growled.

“Yes, Kili, he would,” Frankie said softly, looking into his eyes. “But this isn’t Thorin. You know that we all know that. Thorin would not even dare to think like this, never mind actually do what he’s doing,” Kili looked away, his anger still evident.

“Come on,” Cece said softly walking over to Fili. “Let’s go,”

* * *

It was day two of building the stone wall and it was almost finished. It didn’t take much work since most of the stone was already made to fit in the gap, it was just a case of figuring out which part went where. The next day would be their final day of working on it and that would be just adding final touches and ensuring that it was in fact safe.

All the company, including Rosie, Frankie and Cece, were all-hands-on-deck, each of them being assigned a certain job to do. Thankfully for Cece, she had a job of guiding the lifted rocks onto the ledges, and it just so happened to be the same job as Fili.

“There,” Cece huffed as she pushed a particular heavy stone to the side and away from the ledge. She turned around and was met with the grinning face of Fili, “What?”

“Nothing, nothing,” He smiled, his dimples springing forward as he edged the next stone onto the ledge.

“What?” Cece asked again moving closer to him.

“It’s just…” He smiled trailing off looking down at her, “You’re rather adorable moving all the smaller rocks around.” He had meant it as a compliment but when you say something like that to a very strong gal like Cece, you kinda feel the heat of the fire.

“ _Excuse me_?” She growled and Fili now frowned, unsure of what he had said.

“I was just saying- “

“No, I know what you were just saying, and I don’t appreciate it,” She said before pulling one of the larger rocks onto the ledge.

“I’m sorry but I feel as if I’m missing something here,” He said standing in front of Cece as she stood up straight, some sweat gathering on her brow. “What’s the problem?”

“It’s just, I know that here in middle earth there’s this huge barrier between male and female but where I come from, we actually look down on that,” She huffed as she peered over the edge and watched as Kili loaded another stone onto the sturdy rope.

“But…why?” Fili asked, his brows furrowing.

“Because equality, that’s why,” Cece replied, still not looking at him.

“Tell me more,” Fili said, sitting down on a stone bench and taking a swig from his waterskin, genuinely interested.

 “Well, women are still human, right? So why should they be treated any differently? And if the answer is ‘because we bear children’ then that’s just proving the point that females are strong, just as strong as men,”

“How?”

“Well if I can carry a baby for 9 months and go through excruciating hours of labour to bring life into this world then I can damn well fight in any battle,” Cece said, turning and smiling at Fili finally. “The only reason that the women here do not know how to fight, is because you won’t teach us.” This caused Fili to go deep into thought, after a few moments Fili spoke.

“It’s oddly wonderful how much sense you make sometimes,” Fili smiled up at her and Cece returned the grin. “Maybe when I become king, I can ensure all the dwarflings will be taught how to handle a blade,”

“Maybe I could teach them?” Cece said, a laugh in her voice as she turned around and led another stone onto the ledge. Fili smiled at the thought, _maybe you could_.

“Okay, only a few more to go!” Came the call of Kili from below them.

“Thanks, Kili!” Cece called back as she took a drink from her water bottle. The two worked together for around another hour, talking the whole time. Fili was so deeply interested in Cece’s world and since Cece already knew the majority about his, that was all they talked about. Cece loved watching Fili in thought, his brows furrowed, cheeks sucked in slightly. Soon it was their break and the two perched back onto the stone bench, a silence now blanketing them.

“I worry,” Fili said softly and Cece instantly understood that they were about to have a serious conversation.

“About what?” She hummed back in her own soft voice. Fili didn’t say anything, he merely looked out from the ledge to the other side where a certain someone could be seen standing, viewing what was going on, a crown now on his head. Cece understood. “Don’t,” She said softly.

“I know what happens Cece, remember, you told me,” Fili said solemnly as he looked down at his hands, Cece frowned, “Anyways, it’s not that what I worry about,”

“Well then what is it?” Cece asked, tucking her sore legs under her.

“I worry that he will not approve,” Fili said softly turning and looking at Cece, “Of us,” He said, moving his hand to Cece’s thigh, Cece looked down at it.

“Maybe…when he’s better…he will understand,” Cece said gently.

“Maybe,” Fili hummed, “I hope he will,” He continued, he then brought his hand up to Cece’s cheek where he let his fingers run delicately over her smooth skin, “Because if he made me choose between this life and you…” He said tenderly, turning towards her, some of his blonde locks falling over his shoulder, “I would leave this kingdom…and never come back,”

Cece could not take her eyes off the dwarf in front of her, could not look away from his tender expression and loving eyes. She was trapped in his gaze and frozen in this breathless moment. Without thinking she took his face in her hands and pressed a careful kiss on his lips. Their lips connected and Cece felt something stab at her heart in the most pleasant way and she was once again transported to a different world. She pulled away and smiled at the prince, still holding onto his face gently.

“If you were to choose between the kingdom and me,” She said softly, “I do not think I could allow you to come to that decision,” The words were merely a breath on her tongue, but they were loud enough for Fili to hear.

“It is not your decision to make,” He replied softly, a frown creasing in his brow.

"Yet I could never live with myself or you if that was to happen,” She said sadly, “You are a prince, an heir to a throne, you will one day become a king to people. And yet I am simply a girl. Not only that but I have only a certain number of days of life whereas you…” She trailed off sadly.

“Don’t ever say such things again,” Fili breathed, closing his eyes and pressing his forehead to hers. Cece closed her own and felt a sadness now replace the warmth in her chest.

“ _Okay_ ,” She breathed and held him close.

* * *

It was late on the second day when they were called to the gates, all of them. They arrived, sleepy and tired only to be met with their mad king who stood looking down at the lone man who approached on a horse.

“Bard,” Cece smiled as she recognized his familiar features growing closer, hope spread through her. She was about to move to the stairs leading down when someone placed a hand on her chest and pushed her back before moving forward and taking the stairs himself, _Thorin_.

Cece held her breath as she heard the echoing footsteps of Thorin as he made his way down the stone steps and towards the small hole in the wall where he could talk to Thorin. Frankie joined her and stood by her side as they sat and waited. See, this was part of the plan, this was going to tell them what to do.

I would tell you the exchange of words which passed between Thorin and Bard but I do not have the audacity to sit here and make us all suffer to Thorin’s stubborn stupidity. The company said nothing as they heard the words being spat from their leader’s mouth, they all felt the same pain, the same grief.

With one final word Bard left and returned to his horse where he bordered it and galloped back to where Thranduil was waiting for him. Anger was evident in the way he sat on his horse, hunched over, his lips moving preferably with curses towards the king under the mountain.

Rosie watched him go, watched him move away after being turned down by Thorin. Someone who had shouted about how disgraceful it was to turn away people in need not too long ago. She couldn’t take it anymore, she couldn’t…

How dare he? How dare Thorin stand there and be so pleasant and loving towards her when he acts like this towards others? How dare he turn away a man who simply wanted a shelter for his people so that they would not starve? How dare he smile at her and to nobody else, to tell her secrets of his own, some that had never been said aloud before? How dare he play with her heart as if it was nothing more than a game.

She turned around and climbed back down the stairs and away, her friends watching as she went. When she was far enough away from Thorin and his sickness she found her pace quickening as she moved through the stone hallways which soon turned into a blur around her, or was that the tears which now gathered in her eyes?

Without realizing it she turned corner after corner until she burst into the halls of Erebor where a sea of gold, gems and jewels lay before her. Her sadness was soon forgotten as he rage began to grow, blossoming in her chest and spreading through her limbs. Thorin had broken his promise.

With an angry war cry, she plunged her arms into the mass of gold and grabbed a handful of what laid there before twisting and throwing it as hard and as far as she could across the room. She watched the gold pieces’ scatter for a moment before she dived back in and grabbed two rubies in each of her hands and with a cry threw them at a tall pillar where the sound echoed throughout the mountain.

But she did not care, she screamed and she cried and she heaved and hurled the gold pieces until she found her arms shaking so badly that she could not pick up another part. She was shaking and she realized it was not because of her anger, but because of the sobs which wracked through her body and pierced the air. Pushing herself far against the wall and away from the gold she found herself crumpling like paper in rain as she collapsed to the floor.

Sitting there sobbing with no care in her body she was reminded of the first time she stepped foot in middle earth. When she found by Bifur and taken to meet the company, oblivious to where she was and what was about to happen. As her sobs withered into silent tears she found herself thinking of that memory over and over, it was a happy memory, one that she would keep forever.

And as she sat on that gold marble floor in the lonely mountain of middle earth, she remembered everything that had happened to her so far. The good, the bad. And she realized that she would not part with one moment of it for all the love in the world. For all the love she could possibly have was but a little way away, down some dwarven halls and up some dwarven stairs. The company and her two best friends, her world.

As Rosie shakily pulled herself to her feet, there was the sound of wood sliding on wood and suddenly a box just to her right fell from its shelf, spreading its contents across the stone floor. Rosie took a moment to calm her heart and cursed the box for scaring her before she noticed the gems which had been spilt. They were white gems. Gems of pure starlight. Rosie looked at them for a few moments, not believing her eyes before she put on a fierce face and collected the gems, putting them back in the box.

Time to find Bilbo.


	39. Back To The Drawing Board

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -Legolas/Tauriel (friendship)  
> -Frankie/Kili  
> -Cece/Fili  
> -Rosie/Bilbo (friendship)  
> -Thorin's being a dick again, but that's nothing new.

By the next day, Rosie had stored the gems of pure starlight away someplace safe and was on the hunt to track down Bilbo and the Arkenstone. If she was correct, Bilbo would be sneaking out tonight to take the Arkenstone to Thranduil and Bard, and she needed to go with him.

She had searched high and low but it seemed that the little hobbit did not want to be found. He didn’t come to eat lunch or dinner with the company, in fact, no one had seen him since yesterday. Rosie was just about to give up hope when after lunch, she went outside for a breath of fresh air and saw a small scruff of brown hair poking out from behind some stones.

“Bilbo?” She asked softly, no response, “Bilbo I know your there, I can see you,” She sighed as she moved forward and around the stones where she was met with Bilbo’s soft blue eyes. “Why are you hiding?” She asked softly as she too lowered herself onto the floor.

“I’m not hiding,” Bilbo said quickly, clearly lying.

“Yes, you are,” Rosie said leaning forward, “Your hiding from your problems, _our_ problems, or _problem_ ,” She said sadly, Bilbo looked away.

“What else can I do?” He said, his voice unsteady.

“Face them,” Rosie said simply, “Deal with them,”

“We can’t, I can’t- “He said before stopping himself abruptly and looking away.

“But we can,” Rosie grinned, “I think it’s time I tell you a few of your courageous deeds from the story,” Rosie smiled, leaning back into the stone. So Rosie told him, she told him of how Bilbo took the Arkenstone (yes she knew he had the Arkenstone) to Bard and Thranduil and chose to exchange it in the hopes that Thorin would let Bard’s people inside Erebor. She also told him that though his plan was brilliant, Thorin was too sick.

“Did I really do all that?” Bilbo asked with starry eyes.

“Yes,” Rosie smiled as if it were obvious, “That Bilbo is no different from the one I see before me, strong, courageous, brave…basically a Gryffindor,”

“A what?”

“Never mind,” Rosie said turning her head and smiling to herself, “Look, Bilbo, I know you have the Arkenstone,” She said seriously after a moment, Bilbo too turned serious, “And you are still going to take it to Bard,”

“But it doesn’t work,” Bilbo sighed as he dug his hand deep into his coat pocket where, Rosie could only guess, the Arkenstone lay.

“No, maybe not,” Rosie smiled, “But you see, I’m coming with you, and we’re going to do things, well…a little differently,”

* * *

Legolas stood with Tauriel as they watched Bard ride back on his horse, an angry look on his face.

“I’m guessing it did not go well,” Tauriel sighed dejectedly as they watched Bard exchange a few words with Thranduil.

“No,” Legolas replied, eyes fixed on his father. “Rosie mentioned something about Thorin being ill in the mind,”

“What do you mean?” Tauriel asked turning to face him.

“A sickness runs through his blood, a dragon sickness,” Legolas explained, “His grandfather was corrupted by it and it appears, so is Thorin,” Tauriel didn’t say anything, simply looked away a sadness running through her features.

“It is sad,” Tauriel whispered after a moment, “Their family has suffered so greatly. Then they eventually reclaim their homeland and are now faced with a mentally distorted leader,” She sighed and turned away from the mountain, walking through the stone ruin of Dale.

“I believe that everything shall be okay,” Legolas reassured Tauriel, falling into step with her.

“How can you be so certain? She sighed as she once again glanced towards to mountain, Legolas frowned.

“I do not know myself,” He said simply, “Something about the three women brings a sense of…hope,” He said thoughtfully, Tauriel peered up at her friend with contemplative eyes.

“Do you… _care_ , for the women?” She asked staring at him intensely.

“Care?” He asked, eyes not on Tauriel.

“As in…” She trailed off hoping he would get her drift, he did.

“Yes, but I see them as no more than friends,” He said curtly, standing a little taller.

“What about the brunette, the one who you always seem to be talking to,” Tauriel smiled up at him.

“She is… strong and courageous, yes, but I believe that even if I did love her, she would not return my feelings,” Legolas brushed off, but this only caused the curiosity in Tauriel to grow.

“What do you mean?” She asked, leaning forward, Legolas paused for a moment before answering.

“When someone fears for another, it is obvious in their eyes whether they are fearing for them as a friend or as a lover,” Legolas began to explain, “Fear reveals our priorities,”

“What does this have to do with- “

“I’m getting there. I saw this in my father, a long time ago of course, back when mother was still alive. The three of us one day went deep into the woods, this was back when it wasn’t…Anyways, we were exploring and educating, I was still young and needed my teachings,” Legolas began his story and Tauriel settled against the crumbling stone behind her, letting the soft voice of her friend wash over her, “She was teaching me the names of the flowers which she liked the most when we were ambushed by spiders. My father was too far away, and we were divided. My mother protected me and began to fight the spiders with the weapons she had on her, but, she could not hold them all off, so she grabbed hold of me and ran back to the palace.

“Meanwhile, my father was trying to reach us, but couldn’t. This was one of the first spider attacks we had experienced and we were not so used to having such foul creatures around us. Back then, spider attacks were a much larger problem, something which the whole palace needed to be aware of and as a king, it was my father’s duty to warn them. But he did not.

“He spent the time that he should have been alerting his people of the attack, on trying to save me and my mum. We, of course, were safe back in the palace walls but, he did not know this. As a young elleth, it was then that I realized how much my father valued my mother and me, he would abandon his duties as a king just to ensure that we were safe. But sadly, the day I realized this, was one week before my mother’s death,” Legolas finished, his eyes stony as he looked towards the mountain. Tauriel looked at him with a tender expression, Legolas rarely showed this side of himself, he rarely talked about his past and he rarely talked about his mother. Tauriel felt honored.

She got up and sat next to him, making sure that he knew that she was there for him. You see, even though Tauriel did not love him in the way he…used to her, she still loved him, and she would still stand there by his side whenever things got rough or too unpleasant to handle. There was something in the air recently, a certain sense of tension, like the calm sky before a stormy night. And before the clouds turned dark and the night was filled with rain and thunder, it was sweet that they could share this moment of tranquillity, and for that, they were both blessed.

* * *

Fili, Kili, Frankie and Cece all stood once again in the chamber, but this time, there was a plan that was about to be put in action.

“Okay, so basically we will track him down and just do it then and there, okay?” Frankie asked and she received and nod from everybody in return.

“And remember guys, harsh, unloving, unforgiving,” Cece nodded as she moved towards the door, Fili, Kili and Frankie following. Together they wondered down the stone hallways, a tense silence blanketing them, each of them lost in their own world of thoughts. However, this silence was broken once they reached the familiar door to the halls, they held their breath.

“I can’t believe we’re doing this without Rosie,” Cece breathed sadly.

“It’s for the best, she’s unreliable,” Frankie said with a game face on except her eyes deceived her.

“We can do this,” Fili said confidently, “He’s just a dwarf after all,”

“Yes Fili,” Cece breathed as she put her hand on the doorknob, “That’s the spirit,” The door opened and the pulsing glow of the gold once again greeted them with an evil tone. Slowly, the small group edged their way into the room until a familiar robe could be seen, hanging off the tall structure of their ‘friend’. Thorin.

“Thorin?” Cece called out in a shaky voice, he didn’t turn around or show any sign of hearing her, “Thorin, it’s us,” She said a little louder, still no response, “We’ve come to talk,” Cece said, now just behind Thorin as they stood on the mountain of gold. Slowly, she reached out and placed her hand on Thorin’s shoulder, he jumped as if he had just been touched with a red flame and clawed around only to come face to face with a rather scared Cece.

“Oh, Cece,” He said before removing his hand from her arm, “What do you want?”

“I’ve come to talk Thorin,” Cece said slowly as if she was talking to an unreliable child, “We all have,”

“We?” Thorin asked confused.

“Yes, we,” Cece said once again gesturing to where the others stood but inches behind her.

“Oh!” Thorin called out in surprise as if he had just noticed their presence, “Fili, Kili! You have all come to bask in the glory of your great grandfather I see,” Thorin nodded at them with a grin, not even glancing at Frankie.

“Not quite…” Fili trailed off.

“Not quite!” Thorin called out in surprise, “Look around you, my nephews! Look at all this gold, _our_ gold!” Thorin said throwing his arms out.

“That’s why we’ve come to talk to you,” Kili said seriously, his voice firm. “About the gold,” Thorin’s face lit up.

“We’ve come to tell you that…it’s not doing any good for you Thorin,” Cece began, Thorin’s eyes went dark, “We think that we should give some of it to Bard, only what he rightfully deserves,”

“Rightfully…deserves?” Thorin asked as if he didn’t understand but yet there was a bitterness in his voice. “Rightfully deserves?” He said again, but firmer, his anger evidently growing, “ _Rightfully deserves_!” He then cried, moving dangerously close to Cece’s face, his cloak billowing out behind him causing some of the gold pieces to fall and pitter-patter away into the shadows. Fili moved closer as well, close enough that if Thorin dared to do anything, Fili could wipe him out. “Do not talk to me about what those wretched humans do and don’t deserve!” He spat.

“Wretched humans?” Frankie asked. Thorin snapped his gaze to her, “Are you forgetting that Bard is the reason that you have Erebor? That it was, in fact, Bard who killed Smaug? And therefore, we owe Bard Erebor,”

“ _Owe him_!” Thorin cried tipping his head back, “Please, spare me the necessities,” Thorin then growled moving as if he was walking away.

“Thorin stop!” Kili cried angrily, “They’re right! Do you not see? Can you not grasp the image of what you have become?” His voice rang out throughout the hall. “You are sick Thorin! Do not even try and deny it! You have fallen prisoner to the one thing you promised you never would!” Kili cried, Cece watched as Kili’s passion infected Fili.

“When we were growing up, you told us the stories of Thror, of how you saw him turn and twist down that dark hole,” Fili said, he was not shouting like Kili but his voice was no less angry, “You told us of how when you became king, you would make sure that no dwarf or dwarrow would ever have to suffer at the hands of the dragon sickness again. Yet here you stand, a hypocritical waste,”

“But Thorin,” Cece now spoke up, her voice the softest of them all, “There’s still time. Time to turn it all around, time to save everyone in and out of this mountain from the orcs. Time to-” _Stop yourself from dying_.

“ _Argh_!” Thorin cried turning around and glaring at the group with fiery eyes, “ _How dare you_ ,” He breathed the words which thrummed off the walls and echoed around them, filling their ears, “ _How…dare you_. You come here, _to my_ kingdom, in a room of _my_ gold, to tell me that _I’m_ corrupted. _How dare you_? What in your incorrect state of mind says that this is okay? That you have any right to say those things! To accuse me of such wicked lies! _Am I not the king_!” The group remained silent yet a new fire blazed in their eyes. Thorin then stared at them with such a harsh burning…hatred. “ _Get out of my kingdom_ ,” He said, his voice low and rumbling from within his chest. The group sank back in horror as they realized that Thorin only used that voice when he talked to his enemies.

Slowly, they began moving back towards the doors and away from Thorin watching as he returned to staring in silence at the piles and pile of useless valuables which surrounded him, he returned to being lost. When they were outside, each of them let out a breath that they did not know they had been holding.

“That was…” Kili sighed, lost for words.

“Not good,” Frankie winced as she leaned against the stone wall behind her. There was a pause.

“What now?” Fili asked as he looked between his friends.

“Now,” Cece sighed standing up straight and turning to the hallways, “We go back to the drawing board, and we try again tomorrow,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry I did not post for the last two days! I've been swamped with just an endless array of tests. I don't know if you will get another chapter today due to more of the same. Sorry! x


	40. Sneaking Out

Rosie and Bilbo were packed and ready to leave with the Arkenstone and the chest of white gems. They had their plan ready and they knew what they were doing, there was just one problem, the others didn't.

"Okay here is where we will leave," Rosie whispered to Bilbo as they crouched in the dark, viewing the edge of the stony cliff.

"How?" Bilbo whispered back.

"Well simple really, we just need some sturdy rope," Rosie grinned back, a glint in her eye, Bilbo returned her grin before looking back at the edge of the cliff.

"And you're sure this will work," Bilbo asked.

"No," Rosie replied, "But it's better than sitting here and twiddling our thumbs waiting for a war," She said softly and Bilbo nodded, his brown curls bouncing slightly.

"So we need some rope," Bilbo said, getting back to business.

"Yes, I was thinking we use the rope from when we built the wall, the one that carried those heavy stones around," Rosie said turning and facing Bilbo, "I was hoping you could go get it,"

"Why not you?" Bilbo asked, a frown on his features.

"Well many reasons actually, 1- you're smaller than me meaning you will have more stealth and 2-there is another errand that I must attend to," She said softly.

"What would that be?"

"Well, we can't just leave and tell _no one_ ," Rosie said softly, "I haven't been talking to my friends over the past few days but, they deserve to know," Rosie said more to herself than anyone.

"Okay," Bilbo nodded, "I'll go get the rope, meet here in 15 minutes,"

"Deal," Rosie nodded and they both stood and scuttled away into the walls of Erebor.

* * *

"What do we do now?" Fili sighed frustrated as he leaned back in his chair.

"I don't know," Cece huffed herself as she flopped on the floor. "Talking was supposed to snap him out of it, talking was supposed to make it... _better_ ," Cece said softly as her eyes got glassy.

"Don't worry Ce," Frankie hummed as she ran a hand over her friend's back, "It's going to be okay. Remember, Rosie made the promise to Thranduil, he will not attack us,"

"Oh and Rosie!" Cece cried, "She's sick too! The plan is failing!" Cece said before burying her head in her arms. Fili then quietly slipped off his chair and engulfed Cece in his thick arms, humming sweet words in her ears.

"Where even is Rosie?" Kili asked from the other side of the room and as if on cue there was a light rapping at the door, the small group fell to silence.

"You don't think..." Fili trailed off looking at the door where another rap could be heard.

"I guess we'll find out," Frankie replied as she got up and opened the door where there stood none other than Rosie.

"Hi," She said carefully after a moment of silence. No one said anything.

" _Rosie_!" Cece then cried, jumping up from where she sat in Fili's arms and pulling her friend into a tight embrace, Rosie looked shocked for a moment before she too wrapped her arms around her friend.

"Cece let her breathe," Frankie smiled as she pried Cece off her friend, Rosie laughed.

"Rosie..." Kili smiled, "What are you doing here?"

"I've come to say 2 things actually, 1- I'm sorry I haven't been talking these past few days and, 2- ...I'm sneaking out of Erebor with Bilbo tonight," There was a pause.

" _Come again_ ," Cece spluttered as she shut the door behind Rosie.

"Bilbo and I are going down to Dale tonight, we're going to see Thranduil, Bard and Gandalf," Rosie said softly as she walked into the room and sat down on the bed.

"But, wait, does that mean that Bilbo has..." Frankie trailed off.

"Yes," Rosie replied.

"And you have..." Cece asked.

"Yes," Rosie said again.

"What was does who have?" Fili asked. Rosie turned to him and took a deep breath.

"Bilbo has the Arkenstone," There was an intake of breath from both Fili and Kili, "And I have the gems of pure starlight. We are taking them to Bard and Thranduil in exchange for their help in battle,"

"Battle?" Kili asked after a moment.

"Yes," Frankie took over, "The orcs are coming, and if we are fighting each other, then there's no way we will be able to fight the orcs as well," Kili nodded but seemed a little lost.

"So you're leaving tonight," Cece asked turning back to Rosie.

"Yes,"

"Well, we're coming with you," Cece continued, Rosie simply looked up at her apologetically.

"Ce, you can't,"

"What do you mean 'I can't',"

"Ce, she has a point," Frankie spoke up, Cece simply gave her a heartbroken look.

"Thorin's going to notice if we're all gone," Rosie explained.

"No he won't," Cece desperately said.

"Ce..." Frankie trailed off.

"I swear he won't!" Cece cried again.

"Cece, even if he didn't notice, I still need you guys here to distract him," Rosie sighed, Cece gave a defeated look as she couldn't come up with an argument.

"Fine," She eventually said, "But you better not fuck this up,"

"Okay, okay," Rosie said holding her hands up in defence. "I promise,"

"Good," There was a moment of silence.

"Um, I guess I should get going," Rosie said as she stood, rubbing her sweaty palms on her thighs.

"Yeah, yeah," Frankie muttered as she smiled at her friend and walked her over to the door. Frankie opened the door for her friend and smiled, Rosie returned the smile before looking back into the room.

"I'll see you tomorrow," She smiled and they grinned back before Rosie stepped out into the hall and disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

Rosie returned to the stone edge she found Bilbo's small form tying a rope to a large rock, smiling she snuck up behind him.

"Hey," She whispered in his ear causing him to jump about a foot in the air letting out a yelp of surprise, Rosie burst into laughter.

"That's not funny!" Bilbo cried once he realized there was no danger.

"Yeah? You should have seen the look on your face, that was pretty funny if you ask me!" Rosie spluttered through her laughter.

"Come on," Bilbo huffed as he grabbed hold of the rope.

"You go first, I'll stay up here and watch out for anyone," Rosie said as Bilbo began taking his first few steps down the mountain. In no time Bilbo had reached the bottom meaning it was now Rosie's turn to lower the chest of gems. Wrapping the rope tightly around the chest she slowly began lowering it down the mountain being careful not to make any sudden movements. When the chest was firmly on the floor Bilbo gave her the thumbs up from the darkness. Now it was her turn. Rosie took a deep breath and grabbed hold of the rope so hard her knuckles turned white. Turning her back to the view she began slowly slipped herself down the mountain, slower than Bilbo and less elegantly but it wasn't too long before her feet were back on some horizontal ground.

"Okay, let's go," Rosie huffed as she gathered the chest in her arms and they began the short journey to Dale. Dale wasn't far away and after an hour of talking and walking, they were there. Since the men and women of Lake Town were bustling about, it was easy to slip into the crowd unnoticed as they began their search for Thranduil, Bard and Gandalf.

"Okay Bilbo," Rosie whispered as she readjusted her grip on the chest, "Just listend for their voices," And soon enough the deep rumbling of Gandalf's voice could be heard not too far away, they picked up their pace. As the moved quickly through the masses of people they ended up coming face to face with Gandalf and Bard in deep discussion.

"...this is a fight they cannot win," Rosie caught Bard saying and before she knew what was happening Bilbo was running forward into the light.

"That won't stop them!" He called as Bard and Gandalf turned to look at him, "If you think the dwarves will surrender, they won't, they will fight to the death to defend their own," Bilbo said confidently staring at the two.

"Bilbo Baggins," Gandalf sighed happily as he looked down at the hobbit.

"Don't forget about me old man," Rosie smiled as she too stepped out into the light.

"Who are you calling old?" Gandalf raised an eyebrow.

" _Touché_ ," Rosie replied and both of them broke out into a grin.

* * *

“If I am not mistaken, this is the hobbit which stole the keys for my dungeons right under the nose of my guards,” Thranduil said as he swept around the tent and sat down on a tall wooden chair. Bilbo paused before answering.

“Yesh…sorry about that,” Rosie found herself grinning.

“And you,” Thranduil said turning to you, “You are the human who broke her promise,”

“What promise?” Rosie gasped.

“The one about staying at my palace until Thorin had apologized,” It was now Rosie’s turn to pause.

“Oh yeah, _that_ promise,” She said trying to avoid the gaze of Gandalf, “But, you must understand, time was against us! And anyway the main part of the promise has been completed,” Thranduil stared at her with wide eyes.

“What?” He breathed. Rosie simply smiled and walked over to the chest which she had placed on the small table in the centre, opening it and letting the lid fall back the white gems of starlight glowed from within, lighting up the entire tent. Rosie watched as Thranduil slowly arose from his chair, his eyes fixated on the gems, she couldn’t help but notice an almost painful look in his eyes as he reached out to touch it. But before his slender fingers could meet the gems, his hand was slapped away by Rosie’s own.

“I’ve brought you your gems, and now I need you to make a vow,” She said staring deep into his icy blue eyes, “You will not turn your blade against Erebor, no matter how prickish Thorin is being, you will not call for war,” Rosie said sternly, Thranduil paused before pulling himself to his full height.

“You have my word,” He said after a few tense seconds and Rosie visibly let out a sigh of relief.

“We still have a problem,” Bard spoke up and all turned to him, “My people still need their share of the gold from the mountain,”

“Ah,” Rosie nodded, “That’s why Bilbo is here,” Bilbo nodded before taking a deep breath and walking over to the table, carefully he pulled out a lump of something wrapped in a browning cloth which he placed on the table before peeling away the material to reveal the Arkenstone. Rosie stared at the stone in awe. It was a pearly stone with glimmers of blue, purple and red. There was something magical about that stone it glimmered and shone in a way like no other, it pulsed an aura of something powerful something…addicting.

“The heart of the mountain, the king’s jewel,” Thranduil said softly staring down and the glowing stone. Bard and Gandalf moved in closer staring down at the glowing stone.

“And worth a king’s ransom,” Bard said softly his fingertips fluttering by his side as if he wanted to reach out and touch it. “How is this yours to give?” Bard then turned to Bilbo.

“Like Rosie gave the gems, I’m taking it as my share of the treasure,” Bilbo said calmly.

“Why would you do this?” Bard continued, “You owe us no loyalty,”

“I’m not doing it for you,” Bilbo said smiling and Rosie too found herself grinning down at the courageous hobbit. “I know that dwarves can be obstinate, and pig-headed and difficult, suspicious and secretive, with the worst manners you can possibly imagine, but they are also brave, and king, and loyal to a fault.

“I’ve grown very fond of them and I would save them if I can. Now Thorin values this stone above all else, in exchange for its return I believe he will give you what you are owed. There will be no need for war,” Bilbo finished his little speech holding a hand out to the stone on the table. There was a pause as Gandalf, Thranduil and Bard all looked at each other, a debate taking place within their expressions. Meanwhile, Rosie and Bilbo stood to the side, anxiously awaiting their response.

“Very well,” Bard spoke up, “But if this should fail,”

“Then I will beat Thorin with a bat and let you into the halls of Erebor myself,” Rosie said coolly. “A legion of orcs are heading our way,” Rosie said looking at the three of them, “There is not enough for any of our armies to fight individually, but together…” Rosie trailed off, the hope evident in her voice.

“She is correct,” Gandalf said wisely smiling down at the girl who returned the grin.

“But I’m telling you right now, tomorrow when you ride out to the gate of Erebor and ask for the gold, Thorin will be stubborn, he will be strict…but he will be sick. And all I’m asking for is a little patience,” Rosie said up to them who all paused before nodding back.

“Well good,” Bilbo spoke up, “Now that that’s sorted, I believe we best be heading back,” He smiled up at Rosie.

“Yeah…” She said dreamily, “One thing, Thranduil, where’s Legolas?”

* * *

“I’m telling you I can kill three orcs with one arrow!” Tauriel laughed as she ran her blade over her arrow’s end, sharpening it.

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Legolas laughed as he took a bite off some Lembas bread.

“You know what? You will and then I will be the one laughing,” Tauriel smiled as she moved onto a new arrow. Legolas simply shook his head as he looked out into the starry night. They were currently in Dale, awaiting the orders of their king. Legolas smiled to himself as he relaxed into the moment, then the distant pitter-patter of footsteps could be heard.

“Someone’s coming,” Legolas said to Tauriel who already knew this. Without moving they both looked at the set of stairs where whoever was heading towards them would appear. What Legolas probably didn’t expect was for Rosie and Bilbo to burst up and over the stairs. “Rosie?”

“Hey Leggy,” Rosie said cooly before pulling her friend into a quick hug.

“What are you doing here?” He smiled down at her.

“Just running errands,” She said, brushing off his question. “Tauriel!” She called before pulling the amber-haired elf into a tight embrace, Tauriel laughed.

“Hello again young Rosie,” Tauriel smiled down at her.

“Ah, it’s so good to see you again,” Rosie smiled at the two.

“Will you be staying?” Legolas asked.

“Unfortunately, not, we need to get back to Erebor before dawn,” She smiled softly.

“On foot?” Tauriel raised an eyebrow.

“Well…yes,” Rosie said slowly as if it were obvious.

“You’ll never make it in time,” Legolas said simply.

“Well, we must try,” Rosie replied confidently. The small gathering stayed silent for a moment.

“Use my horse,” Legolas then said moving past Rosie and Bilbo and towards the stairs.

“ _Pardon_?” Bilbo spoke up.

“Use my horse, he will have you there hours before dawn,” He said moving down the first few steps.

“What will we do with the horse?” Rosie raised an eyebrow.

“He is loyal to me, he will return once you are at the mountain,” Legolas reassured them. Rosie and Bilbo looked at each other with questioning looks.

“Fine,” Rosie agreed, “But you want to actually chat first?”

* * *

A few minutes later and Rosie and Bilbo were sitting atop a white horse, the same white horse Rosie and Legolas had ridden into the woods surrounding the lake on the night of Smaug’s death.

“Thank you, again,” Rosie smiled down at Legolas.

“And again, your welcome,” He replied as he ran his hand down the nose of the beautiful horse. “Just promise me one thing,” Legolas then said quietly leaning towards her.

“What?” She replied in a low voice.

“Do not get hurt by Thorin,” He said in a way that Rosie thought had more meaning. “He is sick and there is no knowing what he can do,”

“Legolas…” Rosie trailed off almost as if she pitied the elf, “I’m a big girl, I can handle myself,” She smiled, “Besides, there is nothing Thorin can do which can hurt me _that_ bad,” Legolas simply gave her pitiful look. Legolas and Tauriel led the horse to the exit of Dale before they heard a familiar voice call out.

“Leaving so soon are we?” Gandalf called as he walked along a crumbling path.

“We must, time is against us,” Bilbo called back down from where he sat in front of Rosie.

“Besides Gandalf,” Rosie then called, “We will see you tomorrow,” Gandalf paused before looking a little lost in his own thoughts.

“Yes…yes…tomorrow,” He nodded up at them before turning around muttering a string of words to himself.

“Same goes for you,” Rosie nodded down at Tauriel and Legolas. “Tomorrow,”

“Tomorrow,” Legolas smiled before he whispered something in elvish to the horse and Rosie and Bilbo lurched forward, dale behind them, Erebor ahead.

* * *

Legolas’ horse was beyond fast. Rosie, now wishing she had brought a coat, the wind whipped against her cheeks as they plummeted through the rocky lands of the mountain. It took minutes maybe, for them to reach the base of Erebor and only a few more to reach where they had left their rope. Carefully, they dismounted from the horse and Bilbo actually got on all fours and pressed his lips to the ground.

“Too quick for you Baggins,” Rosie sighed down at her friend.

“Not…that,” Bilbo panted as he turned on his back and leant against a stone. Rosie laughed at her friend before turning back to the glimmering white horse.

“Thank you,” She whispered. It felt weird to talk to a horse as if it were her equal but recently, she realized that he was her equal, that he had just as many rights as she did. She placed a soft kiss on his nose before taking a step back. He then, to the shock of Rosie, bowed lowly before snorting and turning away, galloping back into the darkness. “Well I never,” She hummed.

“Damn horse,” Bilbo muttered as he stood next to Rosie, watching as well as the horse left them.

“Come on Bilbo,” Rosie smiled down. “We must get back to bed,” Rosie said, taking the firm rope in her hands.

“To bed?” Bilbo asked following her.

“Well of course,” She said turning around, “We need to be well rested if we are to face the likes of tomorrow,” She said before wrapping her hand in the rope and pulling herself up but not before she heard Bilbo muttering.

“Every day you’re sounding more and more like Gandalf.” Rosie smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's so short!


	41. The Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -Frankie/Kilil  
> -Cece/Fili  
> -Rosie/Thorin (not really)

After Rosie had shared the positive news with her friends she had returned to her chambers for a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow was a big day, tomorrow they would let Bard have a share of the gold and, let him and his people stay in the mountain. And if they were lucky, they might even get Thranduil to stay as well, but for now, they were going to just concentrate on Bard.

Rosie slept like a log, as did the others, for the night was peaceful, no birds sang, no wind howled. The only sound that could be heard was the breath of each other. But there was one person not asleep, one person, whose dreams in real life were bigger than those in their head.

Kili stood on the gate, the cool air of the mountain brushing through his dark mop of hair. The world around him was quiet, yet the thoughts in his head were loud. So loud, that he did not realize the figure standing behind him.

“I thought I’d find you here,” Came a smooth voice. Turning around he gazed upon the image of Frankie, she was wearing something that wasn’t hers, something white and wispy that he could have sworn Cece had been dancing with Fili in a few days ago.

“That is not your dress,” He simply smiled up at her as she made her way over to him, a figure in the moonlight.

“Correct,” She smiled back as she climbed the barrier and resting on the cool stone, her legs slipping out from her dress and dangling over the edge. Kili tried to look away.

“It feels like the calm before the storm,” Kili said softly after a moment, looking out at where Dale sat, now a dim glow in the night, “Something’s about to happen,”

“No shit Sherlock,” Frankie chuckled.

“What does that mean?” Kili asked, turning to her.

“Well, Sherlock’s like a really big famous detective- “

“ _Detective_?”

“Oh god,” Franke said, tipping her head back slightly, “If you don’t know what a detective is then there’s no point in me even trying,” She said playfully, Kili simply smiled to himself as he turned back to the view.

“Detective,” He said once more, familiarizing his tongue with the mysterious word, “You are full of mystery milady,” He then smiled.

“Thank you,” Frankie said softly turning her head slightly away, not before Kili caught a red glow on her cheeks, illuminated by moonlight. “One could only dream to be as mysterious as me,”

“Ah, of course, of course,” Kili smiled back before a comforting silence fell on the scene, “Speaking of dreams,” Kili continued, “What’s your dream?”

“What’s my what?” Frankie asked stretching out her legs.

“You know, your dream,” Kili said as if it were obvious.

“Well...do you mean that in any particular way? Or...,”

“Well," Kili began turning his head to the sky, "For my kin, it's just this thing where every dwarf has a dream. I'm sure there's some religious history to the idea but...I never listened to that part. I grew up being told, by my mother, that we all eventually conjure one ultimate dream. Like the Arkenstone of dreams,” Kili started and was interrupted by Frankie’s chuckle.

“You should put that on a t-shirt,” She smiled and Kili smiled too, for a t-shirt was, in fact, something he knew.

“Anyways, my mother’s dream was to see her sons grow old,” Frankie felt something hit her in her heart, “Uncle’s was to reclaim the mountain and give his people what they wanted, and I’m pretty sure Fili recently told me that his dream was to tie two elves in a physical knot...but he could have been joking,”

“You think?” Frankie spluttered as she grinned.

“But what’s your dream?” Kili then said, turning to her, she thought for a moment.

“I don’t know…um…I guess, in my old world...my dream was to do something meaningful,” She eventually said.

“What do you mean?” Kili asked raising an eyebrow.

“Well, you see, in my world we don’t have battles with life or death situations, no, we have politics and lawyers and businesses,” Frankie sighed swinging her feet, “We don’t get to have these true moments of going to war with a dragon to reclaim a mountain filled with gold… _that just doesn’t happen_. We read about it in books, see it in movies, _dream about it_! But that will simply never happen to us.

"We don’t even have elves or hobbits…trolls, orcs, _magic_! None of that! But, it’s okay, we get presidential debates between Hillary and Trump so _it’s all good_!”," Frankie was lost deep in thought, and whatever was coming up in her brain, was coming out of her mouth. “You know, back home, I always thought it would be cool to face problems that weren’t just about math, or science, or anything like that. But, true problems that test the natures of everything you believe, problems which take courage and bravery to solve, not test scores. And now I’m here. And I’ve actually been in battle, _killed_ bad guys, done justice, _saved lives_! I’ve faced dragons and orcs and elves! I’ve ran from death! And now I’ve done all that…how can I possibly return to my old life? How can I possibly go back and go to university, take tests for a job that… _I don’t even want_ …” Frankie trailed off.

“What do you want?” Kili asked softly, "What's your _new_ dream?"

“I don’t know…” Frankie eventually answered, “Defeat Sauron? Get drunk with Galadriel? Throw a house party like the ones back home in Mirkwood? I don’t know…” She looked back at the view, “But whatever it is…it’s going to be _incredible_ ,”

* * *

The next day Cece found herself being jostled awake by a rather irate Fili.

"What? What?" Cece spluttered groggily had she stumbled to her feet.

"They're here," Fili said seriously giving her a certain look which pierced through Cece.

"Okay," She replied before taking one of her daggers and slipping it into her belt before turning back to Fili, "What's wrong?" She asked once she realized Fili wasn't moving towards the door.

"I'm worried," He said as if it were funny. "I'm actually worried,"

"Hey, hey," Cece said softly as she moved towards him and placed a hand on each of his arms, "It's okay to be worried,"

"That's not what I was taught growing up," He said with a smile although his eyes were sad.

"Fili...everything's going to be okay, I can reassure you that because I know this story, it's plot, it's characters. And I now know you guys better than ever, and if I say it's going to be okay, then god damn it, it's going to be okay," Cece said sternly. Fili looked up at her and gave a curt nod, the confidence growing within, "Besides, we're going to work things out today...with or without Thorin's help,"

* * *

Rosie awoke with a sharp dwarven boot in her ribs, which wasn't surprising considering she had fallen asleep on the floor. Groggily she looked up and found an icy pair of eyes staring back at her.

"You know, you're like my own personal alarm clock," Rosie said happily, still in a good mood after the events of the previous night.

"Get dressed and come to the overlook," Thorin simply replied back, his voice low and haunting.

"What, why?" Rosie asked, her happy mood dissolving in the air. Thorin had already moved across the room and was about to disappear when he turned back around.

"They're here,"

* * *

Before they knew what was going on, Rosie, Frankie and Cece were standing atop the stone gate, each of them wearing a minor layer of armour for the time being. The stood with the rest of the company watching as two figures made their way through a sea of golden-armed elves. One was atop a rather large stag and the other, a horse. Both sat straight as the elves twisted and turned out of their way, forming a path which led straight to the stone gate.

Soon they came so close and you could identify both Thranduil and Bard, stony-faced. No later, they eventually emerged out of the sea of gold metal and stood, clear and strong before them. Then, in a blink of an eye, Thorin drew an arrow and placed it in his bow before shooting it, inches before Thranduil’s stag.

“I will put the next one in-between your eyes,” Thorin declared which earned a few cheers from some members of the company, most stayed quiet. Thranduil stared down at where the arrow had hit the icy covered stone and then back up at the gate where he made eye contact with Rosie. Rosie responded by widening her eyes slightly as if to egg him on.

“We’ve come to tell you,” Thranduil said clearly, his voice echoing out over the stony scene, “Payment for your debt has been offered, and accepted,” Rosie reached a hand down to the shoulder of Bilbo who stood before her, squeezing it tightly.

“What payment?” Thorin spat, “I gave you nothing, you have nothing,” Rosie felt Bilbo tremble slightly under her fingertips. Thranduil simply turned to Bard who looked away, then, slowly, he reached his hand into his coat and pulled out the thrumming Arkenstone.

“We have this,” He said, raising the stone high in the air for all to see. The shock of seeing the Arkenstone rippled through many of the company, for others, it was not such a shock. Cece turned her head, however, to Thorin, who was caught in a trance as he stared at the stone, his face unreadable.

“The Arkenstone,” One of the dwarves breathed.

“Thieves!” Another called.

“How come you by the heir of our home?” Someone else hollered at the elf and man.

“That stone belongs to the king!” Someone a little way off to the right called, Bard brought his hand down and stared at the glowing gem.

“And the king may have it,” He said, tossing it in the air slightly before tucking it safely back into his coat, “With our good will,” Then Bard looked up, eyes piercing into those of Thorin’s, “But first, he must honour his word,” He said lowly. Thorin paused, staring down at the bowman, his eyes bright and alert.

“They’re taking us for fools,” He said under his breath, “It is a rouse, a _filthy_ lie,” He said only loud enough for the company to hear. The girls watched as the others stared at their leader with shock and anger. “ _The Arkenstone is in this mountain! It is a trick_!”

“It’s no trick,” Bilbo lurched forward and out of Rosie’s grasp before she could do or say anything. “The stone is real,” Bilbo said, with some confidence, moving forward and towards the sick king, “I gave it to them,”

The tension lay thick, like a fog that no one could see clearly through. As Thorin slowly turned away from the elf and man and towards the hobbit, almost everyone on the scene held their breath. Rosie glanced down at Bilbo before staring over the gate and at Thranduil and Bard who both nodded in response. Members of the company stared at Bilbo, everyone lost for words in their own way, some of them angry and some of them proud, all of them worried for the safety of the hobbit.

“ _You_ …” Thorin said, his hurt of Bilbo’s actions so clear in his face.

“I took it as my fourteenth share,” Bilbo said simply as Fili and Kili slowly moved closer to the hobbit, there to protect him if need be.

“You’d steal from me?” Thorin asked his voice low, a growl from his chest.

“Steal from you? No,” Bilbo said, “I may be a burglar, but I like to think I’m an honest one,” He said, not realizing the anger that was swelling inside Thorin’s features.

“Thorin,” Rosie started but Bilbo spoke up again.

“I’m willing for it to stand against my claim,” Bilbo said, his voice getting louder.

“Against your claim?” Thorin said as if it were a joke, a trick.

“Thorin,” Rosie said firmer.

“ _Your claim_ ,” Thorin growled, “You have no claim over me you _miserable rat_!” He spat as he threw down his bow and arrow and moved closer to Bilbo.

“Thorin!” Rosie now cried moving closer and placing a hand on his arm, stopping him slightly. Bilbo simply looked up at Thorin, no fear in his eyes, only pity.

“I was going to give it you, many times I wanted to,” Bilbo said sadly. “But…”

“But what? Theif,” Thorin growled.

“You have changed Thorin,” Bilbo said accusingly, “The dwarf I met in Bag-End would never have gone back on his word! Would have never doubted the loyalty of his kin!” There was a pause as everyone awaited Thorin’s response, Bilbo had just shown a new side to him, a side to him that was daring the sick king.

“Do not speak to me, of loyalty,” Thorin growled as he moved closer, but Rosie’s hand on his arm was pulling him back. “ _Throw him from the rampart_!” He cried and the shock of what he just said echoed throughout the whole company and not only that, but it travelled through Thranduil and Bard as well. Rosie, however, had had enough.

“ _Thorin_!” She yelled, her voice the loudest yet. It drew all attention of the scene to her.

“What!” He cried back turning around to face her, Rosie paused for a moment before answers.

“ _He’s right_!” She yelled so loudly it echoed at least thrice throughout the kingdom that was Erebor. " _Can you not see it_? The man you have become? Do you not wake up each god damn day and feel different. Because I'm telling you right here right now... _you are_! Almost everyone from here to god damn Mirkwood will agree with me... _scrap that_...here to fucking England!"

"And what place are you in to say such things?" He spat back, with equally as much anger, "What are you to me?" Rosie recoiled, taken aback.

" _I'm your friend_ ," She breathed, the words barely audible.

" _Friend_?" Thorin spat almost as if it were funny, " _Friend_?" He cried again, " _We are not friends_ ,"

"Thorin!" Bilbo joined in again, "Listen to what you are saying right now. Hear the words on your tongue!"

"No!" Thorin cried back, "There is nothing to hear! I don't have time for two traitors in my company... _throw them off the rampart_!"

" _Thorin_ ," Rosie breathed, her eyes turning glassy, "What did I do?"  But no one was listening to Rosie anymore.

"How dare you!" Cece moved forward, standing in front of her friend, "How dare you?" She repeated. Thorin simply looked down at Cece with a menacing glare.

" _Get out of my way_ ," He growled but Cece stayed put.

"You think you’re so big and tough now that you wear that _crown_ on your head?" She cried, fearless, "Well...you look pretty god damn stupid if you ask me," These words took Thorin aback, and it was obvious his anger was wearing thin. Almost in slow motion, he raised his arm almost as if he was going to hit Cece and began to bring it down. Cece did not turn, she did not run, for she would stand there and take any blow that he would give, for there was nothing that Thorin could do physically, that could hurt her anymore. But Thorin's hand never met its mark, it never landed on Cece, no. For another one had caught it in the air and Thorin swivelled around to find his own, eldest nephew glaring back at him.

"Don't, even, think about it," Fili growled in a way that was similar to Thorins. Thorin stood in shock for a moment as he stared back at his nephew and for a few seconds, the old Thorin was visible, but as soon as he came, he left.

"Not you too!" He cried turning on Fili, "My own kin, heir to the throne!"

"I don't want the throne if this is what it does to you!" Fili retorted, going against everything he had ever said to Thorin.

"Me neither!" Kili joined in, running forward to meet his brother, "I would rather marry an orc than letting the gold sickness take me!" Thorin stood aghast as he looked down at his two nephews, his kin, the closest thing he ever had to sons.

"They're right," Came an old familiar voice from behind him, "They're all right," Thorin turned to stare up at Balin, the dwarf who had raised him and followed him to the ends of middle earth, now standing there, staring at him with sorrow and pity, "You're grandfather fell like old stone to the gold sickness, you were young a mere 20 years or so when the dragon attacked. But you were old enough to see the pain in his eyes, how the sickness tore apart every relationship he had, the one with you, your father...your grandmother," Thorin moved back, his heart-breaking at what he was hearing, "You saw what it did to him and yet you stand here, fallen into the same trap,"

"Thorin," A softer voice said and he turned to Frankie who had not yet spoken, "We're your friends, and we want to help, but we can only help...if you let us,"

Thorin stumbled backwards and into a stone pillar where he looked around at all the friendly faces, ones he had known for years and others only a few months. He looked around at this group of people who he had let down and disappointed in just the last few days. He looked at his family, the ones who he raised telling them of the dangers of the gold sickness, to the family's from the blue mountains who were not even of royal blood but yet, wanted to go on a life-risking adventure to reclaim what they once had. To all of the family's that had come along, dropping everything and leaving behind their loved ones to risk their lives for a journey. The Hobbit that they met in Bag-End who made their days more merry and brighter, who cooked and cleaned, hummed and sang, who was the bravest out of them all. To the three women, who had fallen from the skies above from a different universe to join them on his quest. Who sang weird and wonderful songs, who pierced the hearts of many with hope, who saved their lives more than once, who stuck together, no matter what. He stared at this group of people, his friends...his family, and he let out a choked sob.

" _I'm sorry._ "


	42. Dain II Ironfoot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -We get to meet Dain, yay

As Thorin crumpled down onto the ground, his body shaking uncontrollably, head in hands, Fili leaned over the gate and called down to the two leaders.

“Welcome to the halls of Erebor!” This caused Thranduil and Bard to nod in return whilst in the distance you could hear the cheering of the men and women of Laketown. The company began moving down and off the gate so that they would be able to smash it down, however, one person seemed to be lost to himself.

“Come on Thorin,” Rosie said as she pulled on Thorin’s shoulder, however, he refused to move.

“I can’t…I _can’t…I failed…I…”_ Thorin mumbled to himself as he began slowly rocking himself backwards and forward.

“It’s okay Thorin. You can do this later, but right now you need to get off the gate. We’re going to knock it down,” Rosie said, her voice wasn’t warm, but it wasn’t cold. It was neutral and unfeeling as if the sight of a broken Thorin Oakenshield meant nothing to her.

“No, no, no,” Thorin continued, lost in his own mind.

“Yes. Now come on,” Rosie said curtly before latching her hands onto his shoulders and dragging him to his feet. When he seemed to regain a balance, she pushed him over to where Fili and Kili were standing, they nodded at her before leading the emotional Thorin down the stairs. Rosie turned to her friends. “I told you it would work,”

“Yes,” Cece said as she watched Thorin go, “But now we have a wimp instead of a warrior,”

“She has a point,” Frankie joined in.

“Well, it doesn’t matter now. We just need to get Bard and Thranduil inside, then we can start battle planning,” Rosie said as she leaned over the gate and looked down at those who were patiently waiting.

“Dain will come soon,” Cece said as she looked to the west where Dain and his army were supposed to appear.

“And so will an army of orcs,” Frankie replied. The three girls sighed as they looked out at the scene, it was going to be a long day.

* * *

The gate was soon demolished with the golden bell and all stood and watched from a safe distance as it collapsed. Then the company stood to the side as Bard and his people began to enter the kingdom, pulling along scraps of food and whatever else they had saved from their burning town. A few dwarves then began to lead them down through the tunnels to where a whole section of rooms lay. Then Thranduil and his army began to enter.

He sat high on his stag, the hooves echoing through the mountain. The tension between the elves and the dwarves was evident, the way they looked at each other, moved around one another. But this was not a time of old feuds and everlasting grudges, this was a time of desperateness and everyone was just going to have to move on from their stubbornness.

The three girls let Thranduil and his people to another area of the palace, one without beds and rooms since they, as elves, would not be needing them. The army chose to stand in a perfect formation in the large hall that they had been assigned until further notice from their king. That’s when Rosie spotted a familiar face.

“Legolas!” She called as she pushed her way through the bodies of golden armour and towards the blonde-haired elf. Legolas turned around and smiled kindly down and Rosie.

“So, we meet again little one,” He grinned.

“It seems that way,” Rosie grinned back, “Oh, you remember Cece and Frankie,” She said as she gestured to her two friends as they made their way up to them.

“Ah yes, of course,” He smiled down at the two, “It is good to see you again,” Rosie smiled before looking left and right, making sure no one was around.

“Listen Legolas, you do know what is about to happen,” Rosie said, her tone of voice changing from playful to serious.

“Yes,” Legolas replied.

“Well, we need to plan it, or something…I don’t really know to be honest…but we need to talk…with everyone,”

“I agree,” He replied looking now at Cece and Frankie, “But from what I saw of Thorin, he’s not in any state to lead anything. He needs some time to pull himself together,”

“We don’t _have_ time,” Frankie said simply, “We need the four leaders and anyone else who could be of importance to have a meeting,”

“Four leaders?” Legolas asked raising an eyebrow.

“Yes,” Cece spoke up, “Thorin, Thranduil, Bard and…Dain,” Legolas stared at Cece for a moment, his mind someone else as he tried to fit people with names, then, realization cracked onto his face.

“Dain Ironfoot, he is coming?”

“Yes,” Frankie smiled quite proudly, “He, and an army of dwarves,” Legolas paused before responding.

“Okay, I shall talk to my father, when Dain arrives, we shall have this meeting,” He said before turning to go.

“Legolas,” Rosie called out, stopping him in his tracks. He then slowly turned around and stared at Rosie rather softly, “Make sure you’re there,” Was all she said, and with that Legolas nodded before taking his leave. Rosie turned back to her friends. “Now what?”

“We wait for Dain,” Cece replied. Then, a low gurgling horn erupted from little ways west, it trembled through the ground and caused the kingdom to fall into silence.

“Looks like we won’t be doing much waiting,”

* * *

The three girls rushed to where the gate used to stand, they could see other members of the company also running with them, eager to see members of their own kin. As they erupted from around the corner and looked out onto the stony plains they began to see and hear the army of dwarves trod down the mud before them. They weren’t as in unison as the elves meaning that they held a more rugged and battle-like tone towards them like they had already been in a war and were damn ready to go through another one.

Upon seeing their kin, the dwarves who surrounded them let out a fierce cheer with their arms thrown in the air. Rosie smiled at her friend’s excitement before turning back to the scene. Leading the army was a figure on top of a stout looking animal, he rode with his red axe high in the air and a bulky armour set upon his figure, Dain. His animal snorted as he directed his army to the open gate of Erebor where he could see his kin standing, and it was not soon until he reached them.

“Fili, Kili!” He cried as he came closer eventually stopping in front of them, “What an honour it is to see ye’ young lads,” He laughed from on top of his pig. “Ye’ wouldn’t happen to know where your uncle is,”

“He’s inside,” Kili smiled up.

“Ah, I see the battle ain’t started yet. Would ye’ mind letting me fellas into your halls for a wee bit,” He smiled down.

“Yes of course,” Fili smiled, “But I have to tell you, currently…there’s not just dwarves in these halls…” He trailed off.

“Humans?” Dain asked in confusion as he began to move into Erebor.

“They’re helping us fight,” Cece spoke up without thinking about it. Dain twisted around on his pig to look at where she was standing with Rosie and Frankie.

“Helping us fight ye’ say,” Dain said turning his pig to them before leaning down close to their faces, “What have those ungrateful scums ever done for us?”

“Dain,” Fili said rather lowly as he made his way over to Cece, “May I introduce you to Cece, Frankie and Rosie. Three women who accompanied us on our quest.

“Accompanied you?” Dain called out in shock, looking at Fili before turning back to the girls. “Ye’ letting your standards down boys!” He cried out to the company before moving into the halls of Erebor, his army following. When the last Ironfoot dwarf had moved down another hallway and towards the uppermost level of chambers the company turned to the girls.

“He’s alright really,” Dwalin said.

“Just takes a bit of warming up to,” Ori smiled, the girls smiled back.

“It is quite alright,” Cece smiled, “Besides, it’ll take a lot more than a ginger dwarf riding a pig to scare me,” Then a howling sound ripped through the air, it was quite a distance away, very faint, but it was clear which exact animal it had come from.

“Come on,” Rosie said looking anxiously at the hills, “Let’s have this meeting,”

* * *

More people were cramped into the meeting room than the three girls expected. Just so you can fathom how many, there was Thranduil who sat on quite a tall wooden chair which Rosie realized was the same one from Dale, he had actually brought it with him all this way. Behind Thranduil stood Legolas and surprisingly, Tauriel (later it was discovered that Legolas refused to accompany his father without her, claiming that she was one of the most important leaders of their kingdom).

At the very opposite end of the table sat a distant Thorin Oakenshield, his eyes were dull and sad as he was lost in his labyrinth of abusive thoughts, Legolas was right, he needed time. On either side of Thorin sat two very proud princes who remained calm and collected (even though the girls knew that this was their first every proper meeting). And one down from Fili and Kili sat Dwalin and Balin, but just because these were the only five of the company who were sitting at the table did not mean that the others were not in the room. The rest of the dwarves of the company stood behind their leader(s), proudness and honor radiating off them, especially the lower class families.

However, the members of the company were not the only dwarves at that table because not too far down sat Dain II Ironfoot with four unknown dwarves stood behind him, one which looked rather like him. He leaned back lazily in his chair, his red axe hanging off the back of it, all the while he was sending death in the form of glares towards Thranduil who refused to even accept that Dain was in the room.

Then there was Bard who sat opposite Dain, he, unlike Dain, was leaning forward in his chair, eager to start the meeting and begin planning. Sitting next to Bard was his son, sitting proudly with a giddily, happy smile on his face as he looked from the dwarves to the elves and back again. And standing not too far behind Bard was Alfrid, who looked like he would rather be literally anywhere else.

And finally, our three heroes’, Frankie, Cece and Rosie who were standing at each end of the table, Rosie with the elves, Cece in the middle with Bard and Dain and Frankie at the end with the company. They would be doing a lot of moving around and talking with different people, it only made sense to spread themselves out. Balin rose out of his chair.

“Those who stand here today,” He began, his voice echoing through the stony room, “Friends or foes, let it be forgotten! For we stand here today as one, one team, one race, one battle. Our past is no more accounted for, for we can now only think of the future, which will not exist if we do not fight together this day. We have Ironfoot dwarves!” He was interrupted by a cheer from Dain as he raised his arm above his head and slammed his forearm against the table with a battle cry. “Men and women of Lake Town!” Alfrid gave a small cheer at this but quickly shut up when he realized neither Bard nor Bain were joining in, “And the elves of Mirkwood!” Balin extended his hand to where Thranduil sat. No sound escaped the lips of the elves, Thranduil merely nodded at his recognition. “And let us not forget…we have our three world wanderers, the ones who know the very fate of this battle,” Balin finished before smiling and nodding and each of the girls who happily returned with a grin before turning to the company.

“I’m glad you have all come and…agreed to work together,” Cece began causing a snort from Dain, Cece ignored it, “If you didn’t know by now, an army of orcs is heading our way, their leader, Azog,”

“It will take the strengths of our four, well three, armies to fight them. However, with some battle planning, I believe we may just have the upper hand,” Frankie joined in.

“Of course we will!” Dain interrupted, “I will not allow my kin to lose to a pile of orc dung!”

“Good,” Cece simply said dismissively, “As we were saying, a battle plan will ultimately make us win, however, we also have to work together,” She paused glancing from Thranduil to Thorin who had temporarily snapped out of his depressed state, “To win this battle, everyone must overcome any feuds from the past…can we do that?” Thorin glanced away from the icy stare of Thranduil and met the eyes of Rosie, she was staring at him not with a hopeful glance that he would respond, but a professional, business glance that only showed interest in what he was going to say, not in what she wanted him to say. Now more than ever he found himself turning to Rosie for advice and support, something which she seemed to have an endless supply of, but now she was not giving it, now he was once again going to have to return to making desions without her help. I mean, after all, the quest was over, they technically should have no more connection to one another, but that was the last thing he wanted.

 “Yes,” He said clearly, turning back to Thranduil and making a mental note to talk to Rosie after the meeting had finished. The whole table stopped looking at Thorin and shifted their gaze to Thranduil whose appearance was unreadable. There was a pause.

“Of course,” He eventually said and the entire room visibly sighed, well all except one.

“I don’t believe this,” Dain said, his loud voice echoing through the room, “Thorin, you’re not seriously working with that pointy-eared princess, are you? The very one who denied you aid when you needed it most,” Thorin didn’t remove his stare from Thranduil.

“As my good friend said, this is not a time for old feuds,” Thorin said cooly whilst a defeated looking Dain leaned back into his chair.

“Good,” Cece said cheerily as she clapped her hands together, “Now, here’s how we’re going to win…”

The meeting lasted around an hour and by the end of it, everyone had a good idea of what was going to happen. The plan, was a plan, just like any other. It wasn’t groundbreakingly brilliant but nor was it devastatingly delirious, it was a plan for which they would certainly win and kill Azog, and that’s all that needed to be done.

Currently, everyone was preparing for battle as it was predicted that the orc armies would be in range in about an hour and this was rather nerving. The girls sat with the company and watched as they applied their armour, then helping the girls with theirs.

“How on earth do you even move with this,” Cece huffed as she tried to lift a rather heavy chain-mail.

“Well, since we’re dwarves our bones are much stronger than any other race, while we still may find something like that heavy, it’s certainly not as heavy as you find it,” Fili explained as he buckled his boots to his legs.

“We’re also really strong and muscular,” Kili added with a wink as he pulled on a fresh tunic.

“Yeah, yeah,” Frankie chuckled, rolling her eyes. She then turned to Rosie who was sitting next to her, “I feel like we’re going to the battle of Hastings,” She smiled.

“Battle of Hastings?” Rosie raised an eyebrow.

“It’s the only one I know,” Frankie said with a shrug before pulling on a fluffy helmet. “Cece, what do you think,” Frankie called as she stood up wearing a helmet, tunic and pants with metal shin pads and no shoes. “I’m ready for close ups!” Cece burst into laughter when she saw he friend posing and her laughter doubled when Frankie began modelling her outfit to the company.

“You belong on a runway!” Rosie laughed as Frankie pouted at Dwalin.

“Victoria Secret sign me up!” Frankie winked before strutting back over to Rosie.

“Yeah but if this was Victoria Secret, you’d be wearing your _undergarments_ as some might say,” Cece smiled as she joined friends.

“Mm, yes, Middle Earth underwear, sexy,” Rosie smiled.

"Get me a piece of that," Frankie added with a grin. The jokes continued for a few more minutes whilst the rest of the company continued to armour themselves up, that was until Bard's son, Bain exploded into the room.

"Gandalf!" He cried his eyes rather wild.

"What?"

"Gandalf's here!" Bain cried again before turning around and scuttling away. Rosie turned to Cece.

"Did you know Gandalf left?"

* * *

"Gandalf, it's good to see you," Rosie smiled as she briefly wrapped her arms around the wizard's waist.

"Ah Rosie, I see your plan worked, the elves and men are safely inside the mountain," Gandalf smiled down at her. Rosie, Frankie and Cece and the company were once again standing in the open gate.

"But I don't understand Gandalf," Rosie spoke up again, "Where did you go? I thought you were with Thranduil and Bard,"

"Ah, nothing to worry about young Rosie, I simply had some errands to run," Gandalf smiled his strange smile before turning to the rest of the company, "Thorin! May I congratulate you on seeing past your gold sickness and allowing these humble folks into your kingdom," Gandalf smiled down at Thorin, who paused before responding.

"Yes, but do not think that I would have in any way been able to do it without the people who surround us here," Thorin nodded before gesturing to the entirety of the company, including the three girls. "I cannot thank them enough," He said smiling at his friends and family. Gandalf leaned back slightly, a happy and rather relieved smile on his face.

"Good, well that's good," He said, his voice rather distant as he once again looked down at the strong dwarf. "Now, I do believe I must make myself acquainted with the others and learn the battle plan, you have made one haven't you?"

"Of course we have," Dwalin called with a touch of offence in his voice.

"Good, now Balin, would you be so kind to lead me to Thranduil and his people please," Gandalf turned to the white-haired dwarf who smiled in response before turning around and leading Gandalf down a corridor. Rosie smiled as she watched the two disappear around the corner before turning to her friends, Frankie shared the same grin whereas Cece had a distressed and nervous look on her face.

"What?" Rosie asked, "What is it?" Cece glanced up at Rosie and held a gaze.

"It's just..." Cece pondered aloud, "I feel like this is going to well...like something is going to pop up and ruin the plan, ruin everything,"

"I know what you mean," Frankie nodded, a shiver running down her spine, "Everything so far hasn't always gone to plan, what if that happens now, how big will the consequence be?"

"Guys, guys," Rosie said clearly, calming her friends down, "Nothing is going to happen, okay? And if it does, well...we have Gandalf and Thranduil and Bard and so many other great people who can take care of it. Nothing can happen that will be so serious that we will lose this fight...or lose someone," Rosie didn't need to actually say the words for Frankie and Cece to know what she was talking about, it was painfully known by all what could have happened and what could happen, even though the chances are very small.

"Your right," Cece sighed, tiredly running a hand through her hair.

"I know," Rosie grinned, some of her cheeriness creeping back.

"Come on you two," Frankie sighed throwing her arm around each of her friend's shoulder's, "Let us go prepare for battle," The three of them began to make their way down to the armoury room when a voice called out, stopping them in their tracks.

"Rosie," Thorn's voice echoed throughout the stony room. Slowly, Rosie turned around, "I would like to talk to you...please," Thorin said, his voice was soft and gentle, something that was rather unusual for Thorin. Frankie slowly slid her arm from off Rosie's shoulder and gave her friend and comforting smile before continuing her way down the corridor, the company following. Their footsteps on the cold stone grew distant as they moved further and further away until you could neither see or hear them, leaving Rosie and Thorin in silence. A beat.

"Come, walk with me," Thorin smiled before turning to the cool winter air of the outside world, Rosie paused and watched him walk for a while, then she swallowed her pride and followed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry chapters are not as frequent anymore, I'm still caught up in a lot of work and I don't know if it will get any better.


	43. A Step In The Right Direction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -Thorin/Rosie

Rosie stepped outside into the brisk morning air, the cold pinching at her cheeks and piercing her ears as she did so. Ahead of her, Thorin was stepping over the fallen stone from the gate, making his way over to the left and up. Sighing, Rosie followed. As she moved over the rough stones she felt the cold seeping through her clothes and skin, trickling into her bones and attacking her very core. Her fingers soon turned numb which was no help whilst climbing over rocks and her teeth chattered in her skull.

But eventually, as she climbed higher and higher, the stones evened out and a set of steps could be distinguished in the mess of rock. Rosie climbed the last few steps before moving onto a flat rock which was in the shape of a perfect circle, appearing to be their destination. The architecture of the stone was almost elven-like as it was delicate and refined rather than the rough exterior the dwarves were almost famous for.

Thorin was stood at the very edge of the stone, hands folded behind his back and looking out at the soon to be battlefield. Without speaking a word Rosie slowly moved forward and joined him, the bitter cold air now forgotten as Thorin's thrumming heat was now keeping her warm. Silence stayed between them, but this was normal for the two, they enjoyed each other’s company, even if no words were passed between them.

After a while Rosie started looking at the stone once more, it was fascinating to look at, with detailed patterns carved into it, it looked to be one of the few remaining intact things in Erebor. However, the true age of the stone was visible. Weeds and plants grew in the cracks and crevasses of the ageing rock, and in some places, winter flowers had begun to bloom, Snowdrops, Winter Hazel and Flowering Quince to name a few, it gave the setting an even more magical look.

“Biological weathering,” Rosie smiled, her middle school teachings coming back to her.

“Pardon?” Thorin asked turning to her, a smile now on his features. Rosie simply smiled back and nodded at where the flowers lay.

“It’s where rock is weathered by plants getting into the cracks and crevasses of rock. As the plants grow they will push apart the stone and eventually the stone will break and wither away travelling down to water where it will break up along the way so by the time it reaches the water, it’s sediment,” Rosie said automatically after all those years of revising it over and over again. Thorin stared at Rosie before slowly raising an eyebrow. “What? I got an A* on my paper on _different rocks, how they’re shaped and smashed_ ,” The two chuckled slightly before turning back to the flowers.

“The virgin tears have always been a favourite of mine,” Thorin smiled happily as if he was replaying a happy memory.

“The what, what’s?” Rosie asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise and interest.

“Those ones there,” Thorin said pointing down to where a group of snowdrops had clustered together.

“Oh,” Rosie said, acknowledging her misjudgment, “Ah, we call those snowdrops but I guess you all have a completely different set of names for everything,” Rosie smiled.

“Ah, I see how that might have been rather…” Thorin began.

“Yeah,” Rosie sighed happily. There was a pause as the two surveyed the snowdrops.

“Virgin tears were my mother’s favorite flower,” Thorin smiled happily, “She said it was the only reason to look forward to winter,” Rosie smiled as a memory of her own mum came flooding into her mind, “When it actually came to winter, she would plant as many as she could in the gardens so that when you walked in, you were surrounded by a waterfall of these white droplets,” Thorin continued to smile dozily as he basked in memories from his childhood somewhere inside his mind and Rosie watched him, happy and content that there were no longer worry lines on his face and that his eyes were no longer dull and…cloudy.

“I don’t actually know who your mother is,” Rosie said dreamily.

“Oh?”

“No, she’s not mentioned in the books…well, I don’t think she is. I only read so much of the book and even then, it was years ago...I’m rather ashamed of myself now,” Rosie said happily expecting Thorin to smile with her, but he didn’t. “Hey? Is everything okay?”

“Well besides the fact that soon I will be riding into war to fill out the duties of my ancestors…I’m dandy,” Thorin said with a touch of sass. Rosie stayed silent for a moment before thinking about what she could have said to upset him, then it came to her.

“Hey, Thorin…” She started, a touch of question in her voice.

“Yeah?” A pause.

“Where is your mother? I mean…not to be rude or anything but….” Rosie trailed off. Thorin didn’t move or speak for a few seconds before he let out a low deep sigh.

“My mother…” He began as if he didn’t know how to put what was in his mind, in words, “My mother,” He started again with more confidence, “died the day that…Smaug took Erebor,” He said slowly as if the words were hard to physically say.

“Oh,” Rosie said, sadness in her voice, “I’m so sorry,” Was all she could muster, on top of everything he had to lose his mother as well.

“It’s okay, I mean…it was a long time ago, I’ve had plenty of time to get over it,” Thorin said softly, a completely new and different tone. “Or, get as close as possible to getting over it,”

“Thorin…” Rosie began but found no words coming to her. Rosie had never truly experienced a family death, I mean the biggest she’d ever had to deal with was her pet hamster scruff dying when she was seven. But she had seen other’s going through it, her parents to be precise.

There was the day when she was around nine that her parents called her from downstairs and sat her down at the dinner table telling her that they had something very serious to tell her. And she thought they were getting a puppy. As it turns out, Rosie’s grandmother had died, the one who lived in France and Rosie had only seen a few times, she never got on with her grandmother, she smoked all the time and put salt on everything and always forced her opinions on the young Rosie.

So, when she heard of this woman’s death, she could not bring herself to react. Because there was nothing to react to. This woman meant no more or less to her than a stranger, she was her grandma…but she was a horrible woman whom Rosie really could not be bothered to go visit. But her parents thought it was a big deal, especially her mum.

It wasn’t the death of her grandmother that had caused little Rosie’s heart to break. It was watching her mum sitting on the stairs, a phone pressed against her face and openly weeping, trying desperately to muffle her sobs as to not wake her little daughter.

And now in her mind, she could see Thorin, head in hands as he not only has to deal with the death of his little brother and mother but his missing father and his people who were now looking at him to lead the kingdom to a safe future.

“Hey Thorin,” She spoke up after being lost in her thoughts for a few moments.

“Yes,” He asked rather tiredly, Rosie paused before talking.

“I really admire you, you know that?” Rosie smiled, Thorin turned to her and looked at her as if she had gone mad.

“What for?” He asked.

“I just…am, I guess,” She smiled, “I just want you to know because, I know we all have moments where we doubt ourselves and our strength and I just want you to know…you’re the strongest person I know…mentally and physically,” Thorin chuckled and Rosie felt a satisfaction creep through her at the sight of his smile.

“You shouldn’t be,” Thorin sighed straightening up and stretching out his back.

“And why ever not?” Rose gasped.

“Because I fell to the gold sickness,” Thorin said with a smile, however, Rosie did not return the favour.

“Thorin…”

“I know! I know!” Thorin laughed throwing his hands in the air, “I shouldn’t let it get to me, I got it! But…it will, okay. It’s going to get to me for the rest of my life and…that’s just something I’ve got to live with,”

“Thorin,”

“What?”

“It wasn’t even that bad,” Rosie tried arguing but was quickly shot down by Thorin.

“Not that bad!” He laughed, “How?”

“I mean…nothing really got hurt, nothing really got damaged!”

“We got damaged…you, me, our… _friendship_ ,” The last word was spoken with some amosite which caused Rosie to think he was being sarcastic.

“What? Aren’t we friends?” Rosie asked, slightly hurt.

“Oh, yes of course! I didn’t mean it like…never mind,” Thorin shook his head, still quite riled up. A silence fell over the two as they both looked out onto the view.

“You know,” Rosie said breaking through the tension, “I hated you at the beginning of the trip,” A snort erupted from Thorin, “No, I’m serious,” Rosie laughed, “You really freaking pissed me off,”

“How?” Thorin grinned turning to her.

“How?” Rosie laughed, “Just like… _everything_ about you,”

“ _Oh brilliant_ ,”

“No, no! I mean, no offence, but you were just _so_ stubborn _all_ the time,” Rosie continued.

“Oh no, don’t worry, this is making me feel a lot better,” Thorin chuckled and shook his head.

“I’m not offending you or anything,”

“You’re not?” Thorin grinned jokingly.

“But I mean…” Rosie cocked her head to one side, “You really were an ass,” They both grinned. “But seriously,” Rosie continued, “Are you like that with everyone who is new to you?”

“No,” Thorin sighed happily, “Just people who gate-crash highly dangerous and meaningful quests that involve me filling out my inevitable destiny to eventually become a king of my long-lost kingdom,”

“Oh…” Rosie said, rather taken aback by his response.

“Yes,” Thorin said dozily, “Oh,” There was a pause.

“So…am I special?” This caused Thorin to tip his head back slightly and allow a string of throaty laughs to escape him, something which Rosie had only ever seen him do once before.

“Yes, I guess you could say you are,” He smiled.

“Brilliant,” Rosie nodded with a smile, another pause as Rosie's mind splurged out the next thing to come into her head, “I can’t believe it’s almost over…the story I mean,” She pondered aloud, “I want to know what happens after it all I mean…I mean the book gave a general everyone picked up the pieces of their lives and moved on but…you can’t really just do that when it’s…real,” She said as she looked out on the crisp and clear setting, “Part of me is scared,”

“What of? Living your life in this world and for once not knowing what’s coming next?” Thorin said, a little laughter in his voice.

“What...Oh! Yeah, I guess, that too,” Rosie said.

“Why, what were you thinking?” He asked, furrowing his eyebrows as he did so. A silence came from Rosie, then.

“I’m afraid that I’ll be taken back to my old world,” Was all she said which unfortunately only made Thorin more confused.

“But…” He wondered, “Isn’t that a good thing? You get to see your friends and family again and continue living your life with phones and internet, electricity and…no elves,” The last part was a joke but instead of making Rosie smile, it made her heartache.

“No…well, yes, of course, seeing my friends and family again is…I mean….” Rosie chuckled slightly and shook her head, “I can’t even put into words how much I want to see them again and how much it would mean to me. But all that other stuff…means nothing really,”

“How can it mean nothing?” Thorin asked, amazed because clearly, he was impressed by the world Rosie had come from and secretly wanted to visit.

“I mean…to you it must look brilliant and everything, you know I get that,” Rosie sighed, lowering herself to the ground and hanging her feet over the edge, “But...,” She paused before it all came rushing out, “No expensive phone or life-changing app can ever give me the same feeling as being here with you guys, and I don’t mean that as in…you guys are the greatest living things on God's good green Earth, no, I mean…

“You guys just have more respect! You have the common curtsy that almost everyone back home lacks. You have no idea how rude they all are! They get so lost in their politics and businesses, that they forget how to simply smile and enjoy life. Everything to them is a competition! Who be first to like someone’s Instagram photo, who can win the argument in the comment section on a YouTube video, who can get more followers, more likes, more comments! We are a society driven by other people’s opinions! How is that fair?

“The reason I like you guys so much is that, instead of sitting around on your phones and occasionally showing something interesting to me, you sit down and communicate, with words! You tell funny stories and jokes and share moments that may not mean so much to you, but to me…their intimate and personal, because back home, they are so rare! They are moments that’ll I’ll remember forever, and I can promise you that,” When Rosie had finished her rant she found herself breathing rather heavily as a strong surge of emotion ran through her. Thorin was now sitting on her right, staring at her with a mixed look of admiration and contemplation.

Thorin felt as if Rosie was sharing very personal thoughts from deep within her mind, ones that had been brewing there for quite a while, being thought over and over until there was no more thinking to be done. And now, it was all coming tumbling out of her mouth and was hitting Thorin deep in the chest like a perfected, spherical ball for him to take in and think over just like Rosie had.

“Your world sounds both brilliant and brain-numbing,” He eventually said.

“Amen,” Rosie smiled, calmer after her outburst.

“I would like to live there but just take away all the people,” He smiled at the ridiculous thought.

“Well Thorin, we have more in common than you think,” Rosie chuckled rubbing her arms slightly where the cool air was nipping them. Thorin noticed this and immediately went to take his fur-lined coat off to give to her when he remembered that he too was only wearing a linen shirt and pants.

“And here I was thinking that you were so desperate to get back home,” Thorin continued.

“Well, I am…sort of. I just…want to spend more time here. I mean, it’s been great getting to know you all but that has been whilst we were on the quest. I want time to not just fully understand all of you, but to laugh and have fun with you guys, to just have a few days where I don’t care about anything except how big my smile is or how much love there is in my heart,” Rosie sighed, the words that were tumbling out of her mouth were bitterly true and that’s probably what hurt most about them.

“I’m sorry,” Thorin eventually said.

“For what?” Rosie sighed, a chuckle in her voice.

“Not knowing I guess. And it must be hard to feel as if your turning your back on your family and life for one which you’ve only been living in for a few months. But you can’t blame yourself for those feelings, they come from somewhere within that does not listen to your feelings,” Thorin said shrugging his shoulders. Rosie felt her heart speed up as she realized that Thorin understood what she was saying and was not judging her for it. “Sometimes you just have to accept how you feel,” He paused, staring now intently at Rosie, “You can’t be afraid of it,” He said softer now, Rosie’s eyes were the most vivid blue, but they weren’t a harsh blue, they looked powdered and cloudy, like the color of the sea and texture of the sky, “You can’t be…afraid,” He found himself saying again, but it did not matter because he was getting closer to Rosie. Why was he getting closer to Rosie? Ah, because he is leaning in…but so is she. They are both leaning in towards each other, their eyes locked in a powerful stare. They’re so close now. Inches away. So, close.

Then, a sound could be heard, a quiet one, soft and gentle, but loud enough to be heard. A rumbling of feet on stone that was slowly filling the scene with noise. Thorin snapped out of his trance and jumped to his feet, shocking Rosie in the process.

“You hear that?” He whispered as she stood next to him, dusting off her trousers. She then stopped and squinted her eyes slightly as she too noticed the rumbling noise.

“Yes,” She said firmly before straightening out.

“Come on,” Thorin said turning around and striding quickly to the other side of the stone, “We must warn the others,” Rosie nodded before jogging over to him as they began making their descent back to the mountain.

What could have happened if it weren’t for the army of orcs heading their way, now forgotten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> R.I.P Scruff.  
> You ready for the battle?


	44. You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -THORIN/ROSIE CANON <3

Rosie and Thorin rushed into the open gates of Erebor, their footsteps ringing throughout the kingdom.

“Go down to the armoury and warn the others!” Thorin called as he headed towards a certain corridor.

“But…” A part of her wanted to go with him to warn Gandalf, Thranduil and Bard. A part of her wanted to talk about what happened a few seconds ago.

“Go, now!” Thorin called, using his commander voice before disappearing around a corner. Blowing air through her teeth, Rosie turned around and sprinted down the now familiar corridor, soon bursting around the corner coming face to face with the rest of the company.

“Rosie!” Bofur called out cheerfully, a pipe in his mouth, smoke rings dancing playfully on the ceiling. The company was sitting around the fire in the room, laughing and joking about this and that. You’d never guess they’d be riding into war in a few minutes.

“They’re here,” Rosie blurted before rushing over to the armour and flinging on the purple tunic that had been laid out for her.

“What?” Dwalin said standing, his jokes and laughter now in the past.

“The orcs, me and Thorin heard them, they're close,” she said, fumbling with the belt around her waist, staring at Dwalin as she did so, “They’re here,” These words caused the entire company to jump on their feet, the laughter that had been on the features merely seconds ago, gone from sight.

“Let’s go,” Dwalin said, “Thorin shall be needing us on the east wing,” and with that the dwarves began filling out in perfect order as if they had been training for this their whole lives, leaving the three girls behind in the armoury. Not before Balin turned to Rosie and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“You sure you’re alright,” Balin said softly so the others couldn't hear. In that moment, Rosie had a strong sense of déjà vu wash over her, she was reminded of the time she first arrived in middle earth and Balin had been the one to ask her if she was alright, it was almost as if she was re-living that moment.

“Yes, I’m fine,” Rosie said curtly, lacing up her boots with some ferocity.

“Know what you’re doing?”

“Yes, of course, I know what I’m doing, you know why I know what I’m doing? Because I’m one-third of the people who planned what I'm doing,” She huffed as she tied her hair back out of her face and in a sloppy bun.

“Okay lassie,” Balin said with a smile and a wink before he too disappeared down the corridor, Rosie sighed as she watched him go.

“So,” Came a voice from behind her, turning around she saw her two best friends in the entire world standing behind her with their arms folded, “Thorin get you riled up?” Frankie smirked as she took the pins out of Rosie’s hands and started to redo her hair, their dwarven friends merely a sound of footsteps in the distance.

“No,” Rosie said firmly, “Well…yes, I mean, but no _ugh_!” Rosie sighed, slapping her hands over her face.

“No well yes I mean but no ugh?” Cece said in a questioning tone as she began strapping beautifully crafted metal shin-pads onto Rosie’s legs, “Not to be picky, but that’s not a brilliant answer,”

“It’s just...” Rosie sighed.

“ _Yes_?” Both Frankie and Cece asked at the same time.

“It’s just… _nothing_ ,” Rosie said simply causing both Frankie and Cece to stop in their tracks and stare at her.

“Nothing?”

“Nothing,” Rosie paused, dazing off slightly, “And that’s precisely the problem,”

“Huh?” Frankie asked from behind her.

“Have you ever liked someone but your timing has just been so completely and utterly off it might as well be three-week-old milk?”

“Yeah,” Cece sighed as she now fitted plates onto Rosie’s thighs.

“Well that’s me and Thorin, something comes up… _every time_!” Rosie huffed, wincing slightly as one of Frankie’s pins dug into her scalp.

“Oh honey,” Cece sighed.

“I mean,” Rosie continued, “At least you guys have established your feelings with Kili and Fili. Me and Thorin, we just kind of talk and keep talking and never end up, you know…but we do…but by that point we’ve wasted so much time an army of orcs is coming our way,” Rosie sighed again.

“Well, that never happens back home,” Frankie smirked from behind her causing Rosie to crack a smile. Rosie chuckled at the thought. “Besides,” Frankie continued, “I didn’t even know you liked Thorin,” A pause.

“I do,” Rosie sighed dragging her hands down her face, frustrated.

“Well that’s my point,” Frankie said as she held a pin between her teeth, “If I, one-half of your bestest friends in the entire planet, didn’t know you like someone, how can you expect that person to know?” Rosie thought it over as Cece moved onto strapping arm pads on her.

“So, I should confess?” Rosie wondered.

“There’s nothing wrong with that. Anyways, if he doesn’t feel the same way it’s better to get your heart broken and deal with it than live the rest of your life in question,”

“It is?”

“Yes,” Frankie huffed as she struggled to get the shorter parts of Rosie’s hair into the bun.

“Besides,” Cece spoke up with a smile, “What if he feels the same?” Rosie looked down at her with a smile, a warm, fuzzy feeling spreading through the chest. “Okay, done,” Cece said snapping Rosie out of her dreamy trance.

“And done,” Frankie also said, pushing the last pin into her hair. Slowly, Rosie lifted her now slightly heavier body off the bench and over to where there was a floor length mirror. Rosie stepped forward and couldn’t believe what she saw. She was standing there, with her hair slicked back off her face and in a braided bun looking like a warrior queen. Even though she had no makeup, the air of Middle Earth was cleansing towards her skin, so much so that her skin was now clean and almost...glowed, making her blue eyes pierce through her features. But what she loved most of all was the armor.

It was proper metal armour for the few dwarf-women who chose to fight in the many battles the dwarves had, they were women who shoved the male beliefs right up their own arses. It didn’t fuck around with breastplates or flowery patterns on the metal, no. The piece was made up of miniature metal plates which were handcrafted together, meaning that it moved with her as she walked and followed her every move. The top half came up around her neck, elongating the lines of her body and making her chest seem more broad and open, more confident. The shoulder pads trickled down her arms like feathers on a bird and continued down to her middle finger.

“Raise your arms,” Frankie instructed, and Rosie followed, watching as Frankie began slipping knives and weapons into all the cracks and crevasse of the armour.

“And of course, your swordys are here,” Cece smiled as she passed Rosie two familiar swords, the one she picked up in the troll cave and the one from Mirkwood. Rosie took the swords and slid them into her belt.

“Finished,” Rosie smiled as she turned away from her reflection and towards her two friends. They were wearing very similar armour to her own except they were adapted differently to their own bodies. However, all in all, the three of them looked pretty fierce. At that moment of time, a horn sounded throughout Erebor, a horn that told everyone inside to get to battle stations. The girls looked where the horn had sounded before at each other.

“This is really happening,” Cece said calmly as she fiddled with a dagger in her hand, running her fingers over the carved moon on the handle.

“Yeah,” Was all Rosie could reply with, a new and completely alien feeling running through her.

“You know, I’m kind of in the mood to kill some orc,” Frankie winked with a grin.

“Me too,” Cece said happily.

“Me three,” Rosie grinned. There was a pause as the three girls’ smiles fell, and without saying anything they each pulled eat other into a tight group hug, no words needed.

Pulling away the three girls smiled at one another before making some final checks. When they were ready they headed towards the door, leaving without a second thought. They made their way up the stairs and through the corridors, the buzz of the thousands of humans, elves and dwarves which stood on their side thrumming through them. It was truly something magical. They were just walking around a corner when Rosie started heading a different direction.

“Hey Rosie,” Frankie called as Rosie began moving in the opposite direction, “War is this way,”

“I know,” Rosie called over her shoulder, “I’m just going to sort something out first,” Frankie raised an eyebrow towards Cece, who simply shrugged in response and began walking down the corridor.

“Just make sure you’re back in time,” Cece called.

“Don’t worry, I will!”

* * *

Rosie skidded around the corner, the words from her friends had hit home, they were just the thing to make her do it, she was actually going to do it. Rosie ran through the halls, a smile on her lips, broader than any she had been wearing of late. She burst excitedly into the main meeting room where she knew Thorin would be, and there he was, deep in conversation with Gandalf, his thick eyebrows furrowed.

“Rosie,” A familiar voice called out, Rosie turned and spotted Legolas, dressed in beautiful elven armour, a light silver which made his hair appear even paler.

“Hey Legolas,” Rosie breathed, not really paying much attention.

“What are you doing here?” Legolas asked running over to her, she, however, kept her eyes on Thorin who still hadn’t noticed her yet.

“Hmm?” She asked, not really hearing him.

“I said,” Legolas gripped her shoulders and turned her to face him, “ _What are you doing here_? Shouldn’t you be at your battle station?” Rosie finally fixed her eyes on Legolas’ own.

“Legolas I know, and I’ll be there in time, there’s just something I need to do first-“

“Is it really so important?” Legolas asked.

“Yes, but I just-“

“Rosie I’m only asking because it’s not safe for you to be here,” Legolas said, drawing himself up, “People are going to die today Rosie…Nobody wants you to be one of them,” Rosie looked up at her friend and held eye contact for a moment. She remembered seeing Legolas on the big screen and secretly thought, although stunning he was, he was a flawed character, stubborn and jealous. But, as she had found out with many other characters, the movies did not completely reflect their true selves. Legolas was kind and protective of the things he loved, he could not deal with himself to see harm coming towards his friends and family, not again.

“Legolas, I understand,” Rosie said in a serious tone, “I would not do anything right now that would compromise the safety of me or anyone else in Erebor right now. I _am_ here on serious matters, you have to trust me,” Rosie smiled. Legolas paused before nodding his head and turning towards the room.

“May I ask what such pressing matters have arisen at a time like this?” Legolas spoke softly towards Rosie as he scanned the room.

“You may ask,” Rosie said, her gaze returning to the figure of Thorin, “But you would not get an answer,” Legolas did not respond. Rosie continued to stare at Thorin, watching how he had his arms folded as Gandalf rushed to tell him some information in the room full of team leaders. How thick his shoulders were and how good he looked wearing armour. She looked him over and over until she had memorized almost every inch of him and then raised her eyes back to his own which were coincidental, staring right back at her.

“Rosie?” He asked aloud, causing Gandalf to stop talking and twist round in his seat, “What are you doing here?” He said rushing over to her, Gandalf forgotten.

“I came to talk to you,” Rosie replied coolly without a second thought.

“What do you want to talk about? You have to make it quick, we only have a few minutes before the orcs will be seen on the hill,”

“Yes, of course, this will only take a few minutes. Unfortunately, though, it’s quite a personal matter, and I would like to talk to you alone,” She said, keeping calm on the outside, whilst meanwhile, her mind was whirring. Thorin looked taken aback for a second before his business face returned.

“Very well, follow me,” He said turning and leading Rosie out the room and down a corridor. Rosie followed but not before she caught Gandalf throwing her a wink and a nod of his hat, _did he know_? Thorin and Rosie didn’t move too far away, just into the next room which was deathly quiet, yet...calming at a time like this. As Rosie stepped in she tried to decide how she was going to do this, her mind a blur. “So then,” Thorin piped up, “What was so urgent that you needed to talk to me, _alone_?” He said, rather playfully, his business exterior crumbling around Rosie.

“I, um…” Rosie began feeling her hands begin to fidget and sweat gathering on the back of her neck.

“Yes,” Thorin prompted her with a smile.

“I, ugh…” She said again now biting her lip, finding the words immensely difficult to say. _Come on Rosie just say it, it’s just three words, and you don’t even have to say ‘love’, you could say ‘like’, yeah, say like, say it, Rosie, say I like you, come on, say it, say it, Rosie. Rosie_. “I wanted to tell you what happens in the battle!” She blurted out, whilst she could feel the voice in her head facepalming.

“Oh yes?” Thorin said. Rosie couldn’t help but notice that he looked a little…disappointed.

“Yes,” Rosie said, clearing her throat, “It’s important you know because the output of this battle is both positive and negative,”

“Go on,” Thorin nodded, crossing his arms.

“Well, uh…you see…the reason why we’re going to do this battle like me, Frankie and Cece planned it, is because…because…”

“Mahal, Rosie, spit it out,” Thorin sighed playfully.

“We’re stopping death,” Rosie blurted.

“Death?” Thorin furrowed his eyebrows, “Whose death?” Rosie opened her mouth to say it, she tried to say it, she really did, but…it’s hard, it’s _really_ hard. It’s not really an experience most people get, telling someone that they were going to die in an alternate universe. But unfortunately, by Rosie’s silence, Thorin understood. Rosie watched painfully as Thorin’s face contorted from shock to anger to sadness. “M…” He began, “ _Me_?” He whispered, the very sound was like a hand holding Rosie's throat hard and painfully twisting it.

“Yes,” Rosie admitted sadly, never breaking eye contact with him, “You and…” She trailed off.

“ _Oh Mahal_ ,” Thorin sighed, his playful exterior Rosie had seen a few seconds ago, gone, “Who else?” Rosie paused, her tongue almost fighting her not to say it.

“You and the line of Durin,” This caused Thorin to inhale sharply and turn around and away from Rosie. Rosie stayed back for a moment, understanding that Thorin needed time to think it over.

“But…” He said turning around to her, his eyes slightly glassy.

“It’s Azog’s mission to wipe out the line of Durin. Don’t ask me why he’s fucking mental is all,” Rosie said softly. Thorin once again turned away and burrowed himself deep in his spinning thoughts leaving Rosie to stand there and watch as the man she loved suffer at the thought of his own failure. After a few moments, Rosie couldn’t take the silence anymore. “Thorin, you should know that the only reason they die is because you come out of the sickness too late. But Thorin…” She said reaching a handout and touching him on the shoulder, “You’re not sick. You’re perfectly healthy, both mentally and physically. You have nothing to worry about. Instead of taking this news as a bad sign, take it as fuel to the fire in your belly. You have the chance to not let that become your fate. But Thorin,” She looked at him intensely in the eye, drawing her body up close to his, “We’re not just going to win this war and make sure nobody dies, no, that’s not just it. We’re going to finish the final chapters…because…” She felt something hard form in her throat, “The end of the story…could be the end of my time here,” Thorin pulled her closer to him.

“Don’t say that,” He said softly, their faces centimetres apart. Rosie raised her hand a softly traced the lines of Thorin’s face. A part of her was shaking at the touch of Thorin’s skin so tender under her own, a part of her didn’t even realize she was doing it. Rosie didn’t even notice that she was shaking so bad until she watched her hand run the length of his jaw. In an attempt to stop this, she brought her hand down to Thorin’s arm where she felt nothing but pure muscle clench and shiver under her touch. _Well, that didn’t help._

“Thorin, I don’t know why I’m here…I don’t know what’s going to happen…and I don’t know where I’m going next,” Thorin’s eyes turned glassy again as he looked down. “But Thorin,” Rosie breathed, lifted Thorin’s chin tentatively with a finger, their eyes once again meeting, blue against blue, two wild, irate seas meeting somewhere in the middle, a land that didn’t feel quite real, “I know that’s there’s not a version of life, not a mixture of moments, not a minute and not a second, that’s better than being here with you.” Rosie felt her heart and soul being spilt out of her mouth and falling freely to the ground. But that was okay…because it was out now because say the words made them seem... _real_.

“ _Rosie_ …” Thorin murmured softly bringing their foreheads to touch. That one word made Rosie’s chest buzz as if it were full of bee’s and she felt a wetness gathering in her eyes, too many emotions to list burned within the two of them. “Rosie…” Thorin sighed softly, the word but a breath on his lips. Rosie raised both hands and tentatively held his face within them, running her thumb against the bone of his jaw. “Rosie,” Thorin said once more, his voice soft and tender, “It’s you…,” He murmured, “It’s you, it’s always been…you,” A tear slipped from the edge of Rosie’s eye and trickle down her cheek as she looked at him, her jaw slack, her neck tingling. “It’s you, Rosie,” Thorin whispered again, raising his head slightly and kissing the tear that continued to skim down her cheek. Rosie closed her eyes. “I knew from the start…” Thorin continued bringing his head down again, his hot breath radiating onto Rosie’s neck. “You’re so fierce…and strong,” He moved his lips across the skin of Rosie’s neck, never making contact, but staying close enough that she could feel each ragged breath he drew. “Clever and kind,” He said now moving along her jawline and up to her ear, “I didn’t want you…” He breathed, “ _I needed you_ ,” Rosie’s breath hitched.

“Thorin, I…” Rosie trailed off, her eyes still closed. “I...“ Such a moment, on the verge of something you’ve wanted something for so long, that you can’t help but fall. Lips entangled with lips, and Rosie was being pulled even closer to him, pressing right up against his body, she could feel every bone, every muscle, she could even feel his heart beating through her body as they became intertwined. She raised her hands and entangled her fingers in his dark, soft hair, pulling it ever so slightly, a desperate touch. Thorin kissed her with everything he had, trying to force all the pent-up feelings from over the past few months into that single, solitary moment. The kiss was punishingly good, it spread a new warmth throughout both of their bodies as they melted into one. It was like swimming in the deepest sea, where their bodies no longer felt like they were made of flesh and bone but more like they were floating as if they were made of nothing but what they could touch and feel of each other, the world at peace around them. But just like under the deepest sea and the bluest ocean, they soon needed air. They pulled away, gasping for breath as they pressed their foreheads against one another, still pressed up against the other's bodies, still caught in the moment. When they had regained some of their breath they looked at each other and grinned.

“Well, that was...“

“Yeah,” Rosie smiled, feeling finally at peace with herself, giddy and loving, a truly beautiful feeling, she was still shaking, but she never wanted it to stop. They stayed like that for a few more seconds, simply wishing to hold on to this moment for as long as they could. “Come on Thorin,” Rosie eventually sighed, pulling away yet still holding a firm grip on his hand. “We’ve got a war to win,” Thorin audibly growled and pulled Rosie back in for a tight embrace causing her to chuckle. “Hey, hey,” She said pulling away slightly, “The sooner we get this over with…the sooner we can do some more of…” She trailed off suggestively. This seemed to put some fire in his belly as he quickly grabbed Rosie’s hand with a grin and began running down the corridor.

“Let’s kill some orc!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY SHIT! I WAS IN A GOOD MOOD WHEN I WROTE THIS! I'VE LEGIT BEEN WORKING ON IT FOR DAYS<3


	45. Beginning Of A Battle

As Rosie and Thorin ran through the halls, their hands tightly intertwined as the clattering and clunking of a war about begin continued around them, Rosie couldn’t help but feel a happiness in her, so great and pure, it was like deep stillness. As if, without realizing it, she had been looking for something her entire life and she had finally held it in her very hands, even if it was only briefly. Excitement and adrenaline rushed through her until her entire body didn’t feel real anymore as if she was running on thin air moving faster than she ever had done before in her life. Her body a cloud, her thoughts, memories. As they pelted around the corner Rosie felt her heart almost burst with happiness as she saw the entire company dressed in the finest battle armour she’d ever seen. Fili, Kili, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Balin, Dwalin, Oin, Gloin, Ori, Dori Nori, Gandalf, Frankie, Cece and Bilbo, standing with their weapons, preparing for the final chapter.

Rosie and Thorin walked forward, their hands still intertwined tightly as they smiled at the rest of the group. Their friends appeared to have noticed their joint hands, but none of them chose to comment on it, I think it's safe to say now was not a time for sharing stories of new love but rather, now was a time for winning a war. Thorin stepped closer, breaking his contact with Rosie and smiling at his family and friends who had made it with him so far from where they began, been through the very depths of hell and heaven to be here today. Looking around at this group of people, with friends he always had and friends he never expected to make, he grinned a grin so wide an ache rung out in his cheeks.

“Descendants of Durin,” He said, speaking softly through the bustle of noise that surrounded them, but even as he said those words, the world around them seemed to slow, the noise now muffled as if underwater, “Both by blood,” He smiled at Fili and Kili, the closest thing he ever had to sons, “And by love," He looked to the rest of the company, a group of people he couldn't be more proud to call his family, "We stand here today to finish what was started many moons ago. But not to only finish it…but to win it,” He paused, his grin fading into a soft, gentle look of care, “I ask only of you, to fight with everything you have…because that is what will be on the line.” The company nodded in return, their faces proud and strong, each one. Rosie once again felt a rush of almost giddy-like excitement run through her as the company turned and made their way to where the old gate used to lie, climbing up high into the shadows where they couldn’t be seen. As Rosie climbed with the company she found herself once again with her two best friends.

“So, I take it you and Thorin had a little… _talk_ ,” Frankie said flirtatiously from in front of Rosie.

“I guess you could say that,” Rosie grinned back moving up the crooked, stone steps. Rosie took this time to look out on the hundreds of dwarves and elves doing the same, crawling up the walls like ants on a hill until they were all concealed behind the stone wall of Erebor, hidden from view. A low-level chat rang out across Erebor as those who perched on the walls, trying to take this last moment before the battle would commence.

“Hey,” Cece said softly from where she was perched on the edge looking below, “Look over there,” She pointed a finger down at where the people of Laketown were standing preparing to head out to Dale where they would fight the orcs there with half of Thranduil’s massive army. Rosie looked down, wondering what could be so interesting about men shaking slightly as they held their weapons, preparing for the worst. Then she saw it. Not only were the men and boys of Laketown were standing ready to leave, but so were some of the women, most of the women in fact.

“Oh, my gosh,” Frankie whispered as the three girls studied the women and a few girls who looked strong and confident holding weapons of all kind and dressed in spare armour from Erebor's armoury, ready to go to war alongside the men.

“They were inspired by you three,” A voice came from the side and the three girls turned to see Fili and Kili staring down as well, “Seeing three rather small girls planning an entire battle and facing some rather strong male leaders without so much as a hesitation, was quite inspiring for them,” Fili smiled, now looking at Cece who had never looked prouder.

“That’s…” She trailed off, completely in awe of the fact that she had affected girls and women with empowerment.

“I know,” Rosie finished off, feeling a rush of emotion course through her.

“When did they learn to fight?” Frankie asked, her eyes holding the same sparkle as Rosie and Cece’s.

“Well that’s the funny thing,” Kili smiled, a few brown strands falling into his face. “Apparently, they always knew how to fight, they had been trained ever since Smaug first arrived. It was decided that they needed to know how to fend for themselves,” Frankie snorted slightly, shaking her head.

“What?” Fili asked, confused as to what could be so funny.

“It’s just…” Frankie trailed off, “It took a fucking dragon for men to decide that possibly women should know how to fight for themselves. I mean… _seriously_? A _dragon_!”

“Hey, don’t look at us like that,” Kili put his hands up, “Dwarrows have always known how to fight, us dwarves aren’t that idiotic!” He said again.

“Well, that is true,” Frankie smiled softly, wrapping her arms around Kili’s muscular torso and pulling him closer to her. Rosie smiled at the pair before she leaned over and once again looked down on the men and women of Laketown now making their journey to Dale. Half of Thranduil’s elven army then appeared, dressed in their fine golden armour, in perfect unison. Rosie anxiously stared at them each, in turn, looking for the familiar face. Then she saw it.

Legolas stood near the back with Tauriel, his face taut and serious as he watched over the people of Laketown. As Thranduil was staying here with the other half of the army, Legolas was now in charge, stepping up to the role he no doubt could handle. Almost as if he felt Rosie’s eyes on him he furrowed his brows before looking up at where Rosie stood, searching for a few moments before he found her. Rosie smiled down at her good friend and raised her hand in a half wave, which he smiled and returned with a bow of his head, his face now softer and less anxious. He then turned to Tauriel who was beside him, her long hair golden-red in the sunlight, she’d never looked fiercer. She gave Legolas a soft smile before looking up, her eyes instantly meeting with those of Rosie before giving her a bright smile and cheery wave. She then began to beam at the rest of the group.

Frankie grinned at Tauriel as they made eye-connection. Frankie had made brilliant friends with her in the past few days, learning how strong she was and even learning some of her best fighting tips and tricks. Tauriel was so much more than a lover of Kili, she was intelligent and courageous and a brilliant friend, Frankie couldn’t be happier that she had met her and got to know her, the version her whose life didn’t just revolve around Kili, the version her that they failed to show in the movies.

Kili smiled at Tauriel too, lifting his hand up and waving merrily, after all, she did save his life. Frankie saw this, and no jealousy or fear pierced her heart, because, with all her body and thoughts and feelings, she knew that Kili loved her. From the small things he did to the large, she knew that Kili had given up his heart to her and with that thought in mind, she couldn’t possibly doubt him in any way. Besides in the breast pocket of her tunic, under the layers upon layers of armour, lay Kili’s promise stone. And that was all she needed.

Soon the army of elves had also disappeared out the gate, they moved quickly and efficiently, they’d be in Dale in no time. The five of them moved away from the ledge and pressed themselves against the stone wall as a hushed silence fell over Erebor. Rosie found herself sitting next to Thorin who was whispering quietly about this and that. Rosie watched him for a moment, taking him in.

How is dark hair spilt down is back, but not onto his shoulder, allowing anyone to simply view the sleek curve of his skin where his neck met his shoulder. How his beard had grown even longer in these few months, it suited him more than he could possibly imagine. The strong angle of his cheekbones, the dips and delineations of his skin in general, his thick brows currently furrowed in thought. Then Rosie realized, as she stared at the smallest details that made Thorin…Thorin, she couldn’t bear to think of waking up one day and for him to simply not be part of her life. Actually, it wasn’t just with Thorin, but with everyone who surrounded her that very minute, to simply stop seeing them for the rest of her life made her heart painfully squeeze and her stomach becomes airy. It was truly an unbearable thought.

But then again, that was how she thought about her family, a few months ago she was scared beyond words about embarking on this journey, an 18-year-old girl who didn’t leave the house much, and yet here she was, still standing. That wasn’t to say that she didn’t miss her old life, that she didn’t get homesickness so bad she would suffer at the hands of panic attacks and worse. For every day to think of never seeing or hearing her loving mum and dad, ever again. The thought echoed through her mind all the time, like a wound that would simply not heal and yet…you had to pretend that everything was okay. That there wasn’t such a clawing and burning ache that thrummed throughout your entire body.

Rosie was mulling this over, running it through her mind again and again when she heard it. The entirety of Erebor had fallen silent as they listened to that unmistakable sound. The clumping of feet on the hard ground, the clinking of metal crushing against each other, the moaning and groaning of what could only be, thousands of orcs ready for battle.

Thoughts now forgotten Rosie turned to her best friends, who gave her a look that could only be similar to her own. Without thought, Rosie reached out her hand and grasped onto the nimble fingers of Cece who was holding on tightly to Frankie. Everything they had done, all of it. The endless nights of camping in the wilderness, the battles with the orcs, the stops along the way, sorting out every problem they came across, would be absolutely worthless if they didn’t make it through today. If their plan didn’t work. If their ideas failed. All of it. _Worthless_.

The army’s footsteps came closer and closer, and Rosie found herself no longer looking at her friends, but rather at a family a few places along from them. There was male and a female dwarf, which was quite alarming as Rosie realized that she hadn’t laid eyes on a female dwarf before. The dwarrow stood against the wall, solemnly looking down as she listened to the footsteps of the enemy, every so often taking glances at a younger dwarf, her son. Meanwhile, the father sat with his hands pressed firmly together perching his head on the top of them, praying. Rosie couldn’t hear the words he was softly murmuring to himself, but by his tone, Rosie painfully accepted that he sounded…desperate. Rocking back and forth slightly as he prayed and prayed.

Rosie realized that he was probably praying for life, probably praying that his son and wife would somehow walk away from this fight with a future ahead of them. Rosie sighed as the thought of people dying trickled over her. No matter how foolproof their plan was, no matter how much chance they had of winning this war, people going to die, that was the unavoidable truth.

Shuddering, Rosie pushed herself further into the stone wall behind her, wanting nothing more than for it to envelope her doubts and fears and vanish them from sight. The clunking of footsteps got louder and louder until it had filled the mountain and surrounding valley with noise. Rosie could feel her heart pounding throughout her body as each second passed. Then, almost perfectly in time, the pounding footsteps stopped. They were so close. Rosie’s heart felt as if it would burst from the tension.

A few seconds of tense silence passed. It was so deadly silent that a pin drop could be heard all the way back in the remains of Laketown. Then, Rosie jumped slightly as a harsh, meticulous sounding language wrung out through Erebor, being spoken quite a distance away, but close enough to be heard perfectly clear. Rosie recognized the voice instantly, the slobbering of words, the throaty growls in-between breaths, why that could only be spoken by Azog the Defiler himself.

As Rosie listened to the unfamiliar words, she found herself looking at Thorin who wasn’t looking at anything in particular, however, his brow was furrowed in thought as he listened, for he actually understood the language, and whether he liked it or not, he needed to hear what Azog had to say.

See, what was happening right now, was that the army stationed in Erebor were basically hiding, making Erebor appear (from the outside) deserted and forgotten. Whilst in Dale, the army with Legolas and Tauriel won’t be hiding, they won’t be covering up, they’ll be standing there waiting for the orcs. However, there was a trick up all their sleeves.

Azog was expecting to clash blades with the men of Laketown and a handful dwarves at most. What he wasn’t expecting was an army of elves, an army of dwarves, and an army of women tougher than Azog could possibly fathom. So, that would be a lovely little surprise for him. The plan was to make Erebor seem abandoned and then let the orc army be moved to Dale where they will face the fury of men and the efficiency of elves. Then the dwarves and the rest of the elves will take on the trolls, orcs and all the other lovely creatures Azog had tricked into following him, they will do this with help from Radagast, Beorn and the other assortment of beasts when they arrive. Meanwhile, the company shall sneak away to where Azog is stationed and kill him then and there. Azog’s death should make the rest of the army back down, but it didn’t matter anyway since the orcs were immensely outnumbered, it would be one army against four. They didn’t stand a chance.

As Rosie was going through this in her head she heard the string of words from Azog end, and Thorin instantly turned to her, brushing a strand of hair away from her head and leaning in close.

“He was just warning anyone who might be here that they shall be slain,” He whispered, Rosie furrowed her brows before turning to whisper in Thorin’s ear.

“It took him a rather long time to just say that,” She said in the quietest breath of words she could conjure. Thorin put his lips back near her ear.

“Let’s just say he was a bit more descriptive than I was just now,” He said before pulling back as a string of words were emitted from Azog once more, a pause, followed by a sharp, quick bark and a scuffling of feet before the army once again began to move, this time away. Rosie noticed how Thorin tensed up near her.

“Kili,” Thorin said low and soft, Kili already had his bow drawn and without asking, Rosie knew what was about to happen. As the thuds of the armies faded away towards Dale Rosie noticed a group of shadows begin to dance at the crumbling entrance of Erebor. Rosie held her breath as the figures got closer and closer, their shadows diminishing in size rapidly. Then, their figures appeared, stepping into Erebor. It was a group of orcs, around 50 or so, obviously sent to check Erebor for signs of life.

Thankfully, orcs are…how do I say this…not the brightest of species, and as they walked in they didn’t check their surroundings, therefore not seeing the army and a half of dwarves, half of the elves and three girls that sat perched on the wall, holding their breath. Thorin made eye contact with Kili and gave him a look which Kili instantly understood and nodded in return. Thorin then looked at Thranduil who was on the lower half of the wall and was already looking up at Thorin. Thorin signalled something to Thranduil and Thranduil signalled something back, this went on for a few seconds before the two seemed to meet an agreement and turned back to the scene of 50 or so orcs wandering obliviously around the entrance hall of Erebor.

Thranduil watched carefully, his icy eyes wide and alert, observing the orcs every move like a predator thinking of the best way to achieve its prey. Then slowly, he raised his right hand and twisted it in the air. Rosie watched in awe as the bottom layer of elves, soundlessly and in perfect unison, took out their bows and set up an arrow aiming at the group of orcs who were still completely unaware of their existence. Then with a quick flick of Thranduil’s wrist, all the arrows were released showing a perfect moment of small pieces of airborne wood and metal moving as one before plunging into the orcs unaware bodies, piercing them and leaving them as nothing more than cold skin and bone. Around five orcs remained standing, looking around in utter confusion, however, they did not last long as Kili let off a few arrows, his smile now gone from sight.

Thorin looked down at the scene, his face unreadable, he then, once again, made eye contact with Thranduil who was wearing a look on his face that said ‘ _well_?’ smugly. Thorin nodded at Thranduil before jerking his head ever so slightly back to the pile of orc corpses. Thranduil once again got the message, and with some annoyance, whispered something to the elven soldier next to him. The elven soldier then moved quickly across the stone floor, not even making a hint of a sound. When he reached the pile of bodies he bent low, scanning over each and every one of them. When he seemed content with what he found her raised his open palm in the air before closing it quickly.

Everyone who perched and waited soundlessly seemed to then grade how well the elves had done. Nodding at each other and making quiet remarks about what they had just seen. It all appeared to make sense for everyone to do so, everyone except the three girls sitting on the highest ledge of them all. They glanced at each other in question, they had understood what they had just witnessed, what they didn’t understand were the subliminal looks, strange hand gestures and everyone’s apparent opinion on the situation, as if it were a practical assessment in school.

But the scene was soon forgotten about as a few of the elf and dwarf soldiers disappeared out the ruins of the gates to peer down on the events happening in Dale. Rosie held her breath as the soldiers stayed outside for what could only be a few seconds but felt like hours, before quickly scuttling back in.

“They’re closing in on Dale!” And elven soldier said sharply, standing straight.

“Ye’ the bloody pricks are getting’ ready to attack,” A dwarf sighed, lazily taking his axe of his shoulder and digging it deep into the ground.

“And are those at Dale ready?” Thranduil spoke out, his voice echoing through the halls.

“Yes,” The elven soldier said. Thranduil then twisted from where he rested, staring straight at Thorin, the competitiveness between them from a few seconds ago, now wiped clean. Thorin nodded down at Thranduil before standing up where he was and speaking in a voice so loud that even those who could not fight and were stored away safely in the farthest chambers could hear.

“Move out!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update! I don't know how soon the next one will be as I am going away. I'll continue writing so soon there will be a splurge of loads of chapters at once <3


	46. Move Out

The armies got in formation and began moving out. A dozen elven soldiers went ahead, perched on a raised stone, constantly watching the happenings of Dale to ensure no stray orcs were looking our way. Rosie, Frankie and Cece were jostled along by the company, not even having time for a discussion as the scrambled on their hands and knees out of Erebor.

“Right!” Thorin called out from the front of the pack, leading them around to a secret path that would take them to the hills ahead of Dale.

“Tell me again,” Cece said in a low voice, hissing slightly as she caught her finger on a particularly sharp rock.

“The paths were used for trading,” Dwalin responded, “Trading that wasn’t exactly…. how do I say this? _Legal_ ,” He continued, happy with his choice of words.

“Yeah but trading with who?” Frankie wondered from behind Rosie.

“People of Dale, runaways, strays, anyone who just so happened to be there really,” Dwalin answered.

“And you guys were okay with it?” Cece asked.

“Well, we didn’t really know about it. The path wasn’t made by us, it’s not even an official path. It was simply the way a lot of people took, therefore the land got run down and that is what we are walking on today,” Dwalin said, his array of weapons clanging and clunking as he moved.

“But if you didn’t know about it? Then how come it was your idea to take this route?” Frankie spoke up, her voice ever so slightly playful. Dwalin hesitated in his tracks and Rosie could practically see the clogs in his head spinning.

“I have a friend,” He then said curtly, moving on.

“Oh! Do you now?” Frankie said you could hear the smirk in her voice, “Dwalin has a friend, how about that,” Frankie then dropped the subject as they continued, now travelling in a small valley of stone, concealed from view.

“Well we’re halfway,” Rosie sighed as she stood up, wiping the small pieces of stone off her hands. Frankie groaned as too arose.

“Halfway!” She sighed in protest.

“Sorry,” Cece joined in, “We’ll try to make this more exciting for you. I mean, it’s not like we're facing death or anything,”

“Well, we’re not facing death,” Frankie said raising an eyebrow, “We’re crawling around on the floor like toddlers,”

“Wait, I thought toddlers could walk?” Rosie piped up.

“ _Does it matter_?” Frankie huffed.

“Well, we’re not crawling around anymore,” Cece reasoned as everyone began to stand up straight.

“Yay,” Frankie grumbled, adjusting the fit of her weapons belt. As they walked along the path, an array of sounds began to echo off the stone walls, growing louder and louder by the second. It was a gurgling sound of metal on metal and throaty cries. Rosie began to wonder what it could possibly be when Dwalin once again turned around.

“It looks like the battle in Dale has started.” He stated simply, his voice showing no sign of emotion. Rosie felt something run the length of her spine as she heard this and was no longer interested in the noise. Now, the group moved on in silence meaning the sounds surrounded them even more, drowning them in the knowledge of what their friends were going through at that moment.

Soon they reached a small overlook, Thorin moved the company on without hesitation but the girls took this moment to look down on Dale. It was their first glance at war. They watched in silence as the orcs pushed and pushed against the wall of highly trained elves and humans that were successfully blocking their way. There were dead bodies visible, broken and bloodied by war. It had only been so many minutes, how could there be so many lifeless forms strewn about. Thankfully, most them were orcs, but not all.

The girls were guided away from the battle by Ori, Dori and Nori, who they were now walking with. The path was twisting and turning deep within the rocky hills as they were now past Dale and getting closer and closer to the hills where orc-like beasts were already starting to appear.

“Come on!” Rosie heard Thorin yell from up ahead, “Let’s go!” And they were now running, their metal-covered bodies making a large racket, but it was soon forgotten. They ran on, adrenalin so clearly pumping through every member of the group, until they reached a small cluster of stray trees, which they briefly stopped behind. Rosie, Frankie and Cece followed some members of the company to the front of the group to talk with Thorin.

“Are we on time?” Fili asked his uncle.

“Yes,” Thorin replied, peering around a tree, looking at how many beasts were there, “Let’s just hope that the others are,” As if on cue a screech tore through the air, so loud that the majority of the group had to cover their ears in pain. Rosie, Frankie and Cece twisted around the tree and looked up just in time to see a flock of eagles bearing down on the orcs, a man with a large brown hat leading them from the front.

“Radagst!” Cece breathed in amazement as the wizard waved his staff high in the air as a flock of assorted creatures dove down on the battle. Then, something dropped from an eagle, large and scruffy, falling with little grace. It crashed into the ground on all fours before letting out a thunderous roar.

“Beorn!” Frankie almost laughed, as Beorn surged forward tearing into the body of a troll. Thorin turned around to the group.

“The time has come!” He announced, grabbing the attention of everyone, “Now is when we ride into this war!” A pause, emotion was thick in the air, “Now we don our anger and let it take over ourselves, for this is a war that is not about winning,” A breath, “But about showing them, why we, elves and dwarves alike, are a force to be feared,” And with that, the dwarves raised their weapons high in the air and cheered, they then turned the battle with weapons raised high in the air, and ran. The elves followed soon after, the determination and purpose of the dwarves infecting many as they moved forward. Thorin caught Thranduil before he went. “Thranduil,” Thorin said.

“Yes,” Thranduil asked, from high up on his elk.

“Be careful,” Thoin said, “I do not want Legolas fatherless by the end of this battle,” Thorin, didn’t exactly meet Thranduil’s gaze as he said this, and Thranduil raised an eyebrow in response. Their relationship clearly wasn’t perfect just yet.

“Me?” Thranduil simply said before smirking, “It would take more than an army of orcs to render me lifeless,” And with that Thranduil rode on, his sword high in the air. Thorin turned back to the company, the only ones left. “Now, we need to make it to where Azog is stationed, according to you three, he is just along this ridge, however, this means going through the battle to get to it,” He said. As he was saying this, Cece peeked around the tree.

“Guys look,” She said after a moment, causing the entire company to scramble to the edge of the trees. Cece raised her hand and pointed at where a large wooden staff was raised, with smaller pieces of wood attached, it was a sign of Azog the Defiler.

“Ravenhill,” Balin confirmed as they stared at it. “But Thorin is right, we must fight our way through to get to it,”

“That’s why I planned ahead,” Cece smirked as she stood back before looking down the path in which we came.

“You did?” Frankie raised an eyebrow.

“Of course,” Cece rolled her eyes as if it was offensive for Frankie to even suggest such a thing, “Fili, you did make sure that they were coming,” Cece continued, not looking at the others.

“Yes, some of Dain’s best men are on the case,” Fili responded stepping forward with his girlfriend, Thorin stepped forward too.

“Is this what I think it is?” Thorin asked, an eyebrow raised.

“What? The greatest ever aid in war, any living thing with a fully functioning brain could possibly think of?” Cee raised her eyebrow, “Of course,”

Then, a thundering noise filled the air, it was one that Rosie could have sworn she had heard before, yet it was also completely unrecognizable. Next, a swarm of…war goats…stormed around the corner, teeth bared and horns fixed forward. Seeing this, Fili made a clicking noise at the back of his throat, loud and sharp enough that it cut through the music of battle. The goats seemed to calm slightly. The company cried out in a cheer as they made their way to the goats, Cece turned to her friends.

“Ta-da!” She smiled happily, arms outstretched. Rosie and Frankie stared at her in return.

“Cece, honey…that was quite an anti-climax,” Frankie said simply, taking a goat’s reigns as they were handed out, Cece’s face fell.

“Wh…how?” She asked.

“Well, I mean…call me a crazy, fanatical, old orc,” Kili, who was passing, opened his mouth, “Don’t you dare,” Frankie turned to him before turning back to Cece, “But I was expecting a legion of war giants that would clear the way in the war for us to saunter through,” Frankie concluded, climbing on top of her goat.

“Seriously?” Cece asked, boarding her own goat.

“She has a point Ce,” Rosie joined in, “I mean, war goats are great and all, but…you build our expectations up just a smidgen higher than that,” Cece’s face began to fall, “How did you plan it out anyways?” Rosie questioned.

“Well, I was talking to Fili one night-”

“Ah, how all good stories begin-“ Frankie began with a smirk before she was cut off my Cece’s glove in her gut.

“Oh shush,” Cece continued, “And we were kind of brainstorming everything that could possibly go wrong with the plan, right? And we thought something like this would happen. So, we talked to Dain, who got some of his men to send a few war goats our way if we needed them we could have them, if not…they would ride into war anyways. They are war goats after all,”

“Wait…seriously?” Frankie asked after a moment, the company still fiddling around them, “How many other tricks have you and Fili got up your sleeve?”

“Oh, a few here, a few there,” Cece brushed of nonchalantly, “But I mean, they would only be for _seriously_ dramatic dilemmas,”

“Okay, you lot!” Thorin spoke up, “The only thing we need to do is get across the battlefield, so we can make it the rest of the way to Ravenhill. We’ll go near the back of the battle, and, my faithful legions, feel free to cut down as many orc-scum as you may wish!” Another cheer from the company.

Rosie, Frankie and Cece took one last glance at each other, before they raised their swords high and squeezed their legs together, urging their snorting war animals forward into battle. They were joining the fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writers block owns my ass right now


	47. Stone & Ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh I'm back y'all.  
> I've just proof read this entire story and joined some chapters up that's why the chapter numbers may be back.  
> I'm going to get this done by the end of the year....hopefully.

Gripping onto the reigns so tight that she could feel her heartbeat in her arms, Rosie followed her friends into battle. Her sword was bouncing in the air as she was jostled from side to side on the goat. She could almost feel the adrenaline being released into her body as she collided with a mass of fighting bodies.

Rosie’s goat seemed to take control as they entered the sea, weaving in and out of ruthless clashing weapons. For the first few moments, Rosie found that she could not move, she was frozen, like an ice sculpture, on top of her goat as people fought for their lives around her, some even dying.

Ahead of her, she could spot Thorin, pulling his sword down at every opportunity to slash at any orcs close by, all other dwarves were doing the same thing it seemed. Rosie however simply lowered her sword to her side and kept to near her gut, her heart was beating at a remarkable rate and it was taking all her energy to focus on the goat’s ears and stay stable, never mind trying to attack the enemy.

So Rosie kept to herself as did Cece, Frankie was able to jab here and seemed to be more at ease atop her goat than the others, oh how times had changed from when she first climbed her pony. Cece had cramped up and could feel a rising panic within her which she was suppressing with all her energy. This was nor the time or place to have a panic attack. She was focusing on her breath, _in out, in out_ , shutting her eyes tight and blocking the image she had just seen of a man getting stabbed in the chest.

Cece only opened her eyes when the unbearable noises quietened down, and when she opened her eyes she was pleasantly surprised to find that they had made it out of the battle and were now riding along the quite large ridge made up of stone and ice. The wind blew harshly in her face, thrashing like a whip against her ears. The frost in the air was stronger now, with no trees to block the bitter gale, it pinched at their cheeks until they turned pink with pain.

“Just along this ridge and into that building there!” Rosie heard Thorin’s voice before it was carried away with the wind to God knows where. Rosie peeked out from her undershirt which she had pulled up as a sort of snood to where Thorin was pointing his sword. The building was old, the stone cracked with an assortment of weeds growing through it and there was a layer of snow and ice almost burying it. A lot of the building was open, with roofs that were either never build or had broken off, this seemed far too familiar to the three girls. As all three of them gazed at this building in wonder, almost in synch they all looked over at Fili. This was his deathbed.

Rosie’s goat again took charge following the others as the rode into the building, the ice and snow not affecting the strong pace of the goat’s hooves. Rosie took this moment to look out, not at where a battle was commencing, but to the other side of the ridge, where she could see a field of mountains. Spikes of stone breaking through blankets of ice which was turned almost golden in the sun’s glare. It was unsettlingly quiet compared to the other side. Rosie gripped onto the view, the powerful scenery alighting something within her and just when her courage reached its peak the mountains disappeared, concealed from view by cracking stone. The goats in front of her slowed and eventually stopped, their riders gracefully swinging off and pulling out their swords.

“Keep together!” Rosie heard Thorin say. Once everyone was off a clicking noise filled the air and the goats turned around and charged right back into battle, their riders soon forgotten. Rosie watched them go for a moment before she turned around, meeting the eyes of almost the entire company.

“So,” Kili asked, eager as always, “What happens next?” Rosie sighed, slightly annoyed at her previous self for making this part of the plan. But it was either this or telling the company in front of Thranduil, Bard and Dain.

“Okay,” Frankie said, her voice neither calm nor concerned, “There’s a reason why we haven’t told you this…you will understand why,” This did nothing but make the company even more interested, all but Fili, who wasn’t even looking in the girl’s direction. No, he was staring up at a large building, one that had been described to him many moons ago. His face unreadable.

“Go on,” A voice called out. The girls shared a look. Cece then spoke.

“This is the part of the story where Fili dies,” It was such a simple sentence, so honest, so brutal. The company reacted in different ways, those who knew staying silent, and those who didn’t…Unfortunately, there was no time to mourn a death that has never happened, time was a race that they could not afford to lose.

“We have to move on,” Rosie spoke up, firm and reassuring as always, “Now, what did happen is that the group split up with Fili going up that large building there,” Rosie gestured to little ways ahead of the company, “We know for a fact that it is a trap and that Azog is waiting there…” Rosie trailed off, “He’s waiting there because he wants to kill off the line of Durin,” Another mixture of reactions that none of the girls took the time to see.

“But he will not, will he?” Frankie joined in, a silence hung in the air, “ _Will he_?” Her voice strong and full. No one spoke but everyone shook their heads, raising their weapons of choice ever so slightly, “That’s what I thought, so what we’re going to do is we’re going to go into that building there, and once and for all kill Azog,” She said this rather coolly, as if she were talking about doing her washing. The company didn’t make a sound, simply puffed out their chests a little bigger, flickers of faint smiles dancing across a few lips.

“Let’s go lads,” Rosie smiled, and so they did. They moved through the haunting stone which gave the appearance that it was prepared to break off and fall into nothing right below you. But soon they were on ice and were moving with less grace than they hoped for, but they soon got the hang of it, weaving their way in and out of broken stone and sharp ice. It seemed strangely still up here, and the further they travelled inwards the thicker the silence seemed to be. It truly did feel like a deathbed. Unfortunately, the silence did not last.

“What’s that noise?” Someone from behind Rosie. She didn’t hear it at first but after the clinking of her friend’s belts stopped she found the noise was all that she could hear. A rumbling of multiple footsteps that was growing by the second.

“Ready yourselves,” Thorin called out sternly, everyone already one step ahead of him.

“Wow this could not happen at a worse time,” It was true. The company were currently slipping around a sea of ice, a few meters away from a set of stone steps. The girls thought something like this would happen, the memories of the story now dipped in a fuzzy concoction which was making it harder and harder to remember each time they looked back.

Next, a swarm of black creatures swooped low over the ice, the company raising their hands in protection. Unfortunately, they let their guards down and whilst the company were turning away a vicious yell sounded and orcs swarmed over the ice. The next part was nothing but a blur. _Swing, kill, swing, kill, swing, kill_. A time that seemed to go distressingly quick. The girls spinning round and round always coming into contact another burst of orcs.

Rosie was swinging with everything she had, the blade from Mirkwood light in her hands. She was becoming increasingly tired and was just questioning how many more orcs there could possibly be when she was grabbed harshly by her waist and dragged back up stone steps into a hidden corner.

“ _Get off me_!” Rosie called out as she squirmed viciously.

" _Shush, it's me_!" The voice of Frankie hissed in her ear. Rosie relaxed, a dampness growing on her lower back as she allowed herself to breathe. Her first taste of battle Staring at the curves and creases of the stone in front of her she listened to the battle cries which surprising died down a few seconds later replaced by the sound of uneven footsteps growing more and more distant by the second. Rosie turned around and found both Frankie and Cece looking at her, the same thoughtful faces on both of her best friends.

"Why did you do that?" Rosie questioned, checking her wrist which had sneakily been caught by one of the orc's wretched daggers.

"Because you were the only one out there fighting," Frankie said. At another point in time, Rosie might have laughed.

" _Oh_...where are the others?" Rosie asked.

"Thorin, Fili and Kili hid a while ago. The orcs didn't see them and since they're who they're after...they pissed off basically," Cece explained as she carefully peeked over the stone.

"Oh," Rosie said again, "Well let's go get them," She sighed as she stood, stumbling a little, still not used to the feeling over her body being so much heavier than before. The girls slowly and quietly made their way back down to the icy expanse, softly calling out for their friends. When that didn't work Frankie tried whistling.

"Frankie their not dogs," Cece said softly as she peeked behind an archway.

"From the way they eat you wouldn't know the difference,"

"Where the hell is everyone?" Rosie huffed once they had finished checking the area...twice.

"Oh God, we can't lose them...I mean we really can't lose them," Cece began worrying, which was slightly amusing watching an armoured goddess hop from one foot to the other in worry.

"Well...this isn't part of the plan,"


	48. Return Of The Swallows

Rosie felt panic rise within her like boiling water, her stomach churning and a feeling of her neck being both sweltering and freezing at the same time. This could not be happening.

“Okay let’s not freak out,” Rosie heard herself saying, talking to herself more than anyone, “They can’t have gotten far…I mean…their dwarves,” Rosie said, something desperate clawing its way up her throat.

“Okay...well, they wouldn’t have gone backwards…so…let’s go forwards,” Cece pondered aloud, sounding more unsure of herself then she would have liked to have let on.

“I don’t know…I don’t think we should all go,” Rosie said.

“And I don’t think we should split up,” Frankie said.

“Well it looks like we don’t have much of a choice and we better decide quickly,” Cece said. A beat.

“Okay,” Frankie huffed, “Cece you go to the base of the buildings over there and look for them, I’ll go here and Rosie...you stay, check everything and everywhere...and please make sure that they haven't gone back into battle,"

"Woah...why do I have to stay behind?" Rosie said throwing a hand in the air, her other grasping onto her sword.

"Because there is a very large possibility that they will come back...and if they do we need you here," Frankie said, turning slightly to go. Rosie found that she didn't have an argument against Frankie so she let her spinning mind calm for a moment and watched as her friends slowly built a distance between themselves and her on this sea of ice.

"Wait!" Rosie called out, running as best as she could across the slippery surface, her best friends paused, turning to face her as she slowed to a stop, "Just...be careful okay. We know there are orcs in these parts and we're still not amazing fighters so-" Rosie began before she was cut off.

"Rosie," Cece said with a little laugh in her voice, "Don't worry about us I mean come on, we're not the ones who are supposed to die, we’ve already been there done that,”

"Yeah, babe. Like Thranduil said, it would take more than an orc army to take us down," Frankie smiled with a wink. Rosie smiled back.

"Yeah, I know. It's just...I love you guys," Rosie said. Now was not the time to get emotional.

"We love you too," Cece smiled. A beat. The three girls once again wrapped their arms around each other. No words needed, as always. And with that Frankie and Cece turned and disappeared into a jungle of stone and ice, Rosie waving her sword in the air after them.

* * *

Cece wove in and out of buildings for what felt like forever, peeking around corners and being as light as she possibly could on the echoing pavement. She didn't see anything for such a long time she became slightly careless with her checking's which is why she got the fright of her life when a hand sneaked its way onto her shoulder.

"Oh my gosh... _Balin_!" She hissed at the elderly dwarf as she tried slowing her breath.

"Ah, sorry lass, shouldn't have crept up on you," He said softly as he pushed himself into the wall, obviously looking out for something.

"Yeah...I agree," Cece smiled up at her friend, thankful for just being in his presence. "What happened to you back there?"

"Oh...well we hid and then we started moving and I guess something to do with the adrenalin made us forget to count our numbers," Balin said, an apologetic smile on his face. Cece digested this information, her heart tweaking ever so slightly at the thought of Fili not realising she was gone, but she remembered that he was probably slightly shaken up over the idea of...well...dying.

"Okay," Cece murmured before looking behind Balin, "Well then where's everyone?"

"Well, Thorin, Fili, Kili, Dwalin and Bilbo went to go kill Azog and everyone else is...well...looking for you," A pause.

"Pardon?" She was not sure she heard him right...surely the dwarves wouldn't be so completely moronic.

"Thorin, Fil-"

 _"Argh!"_ Cece growled, kicking her armoured boot against the stone wall causing an echo to ring out in the surrounding buildings. Balin didn't say anything. What do I do? What do I do? Cece desperately thought until she came up with a skeleton of a plan. "Okay listen to me Balin. You're going to point me in the direction of Thorin and everyone whilst you head back to the ice place, Rosie will be there, tell her what you just told me and then take her to where Thorin is. I want you to then look for Frankie who should be somewhere over there," Cece said pointing behind her. Balin nodded along as he took all this information in.

"Okay," He said. After Balin told her where Thorin was he then told her that he hadn't left them too long ago, Cece should be able to get there in time.

"Then go... _go_!" Cece didn't check to see if he went, simply turned and began running faster than she had ever done before in her life.

* * *

Thorin stared at the tower before him, a gloom dancing around it, like it was bewitched.

"This is it," Fili said softly on his right, Thorin looked at him. His eldest sister-son, heir to the throne, virtuous son and even better brother. There was no way Thorin would allow him to die. No way.

"So, what do we do?" Kili asked from Thorin's left. A beat.

"We all go in there," Came another voice, a small one that Thorin had found easy to overlook a long time ago, but now, he needed to wonderings of the small hobbit more than he cared to admit, "And we finish this." Thorin found himself nodding along to the small being.

"Then let's go," Thorin said strongly. Lifting his sword a little higher, _"For Dur-"_

 _"WAIT!"_ Came the yell of a voice all too familiar. Twisting around Thorin watched as the fair body of Cece pounded up the steps with a vicious speed and skidded to a halt in front of them, gasping like a fish out of water for breath.

"Cece?" Fili asked, rushing to her side immediately.

 _"Wait,"_ Cece barley managed to get out as she stumbled her way back to her feet, "There's no way you're going in there without me," She said simply, her voice breathy as she unsheathed her sword. "That building is riddled with orcs and it's going to take all of us to take them down...never mind Azog," She had now regained most of her breath and was giving Thorin a look that reminded him far too much of the ferocity of his mother.

"Okay," Thorin simply said. "But first, where is Rosie and Frankie?"

"Safe and fine. They're on their way but we can start without them," Cece said.

"Okay," Thorin said again. "Then let's go."

* * *

The small group clustered together as they made their way through the narrow halls. Walls of stone pulling at their bodies as they shuffled past. Their footsteps pulsating something unwelcome in the silence. They had been walking for what seemed like forever till someone spoke.

"We're being too loud," Came the low, breathy voice of Kili.

"Agreed," Thorin said in a similar tone, "Let's split," They paused, trying to make each other out in the dim lighting. "Bilbo, come with me, Dwalin with Kili you will go that way and Fili carry on with Cece," Thorin spoke, and without another word, the small group split off. Fili and Cece moving forward, Kili and Dwalin circling back and Thorin and Bilbo turning to some stone steps where light, flooded like water down the grey hum, speckles of dust caught floating lethargically in the air.

When Cece was left alone with Fili she felt the weight that everyone was currently carrying, just a little heavier than before. Fili was so much more than a forgotten character on a screen. He was strong, brave and courageous, she just wished she could have realized that in her own world. And there was just this large possibility that he might die today, that in a few minutes he would just stop existing. She shuddered.

"You're shaking," Cece was pulled gently from her vivid thoughts by the soft and steady voice of Fili. His voice did not cut through the silence, it hummed and rumbled, something Cece would associate with the cracking of a fire, the brisk pinch in the air on winter mornings, nights of watching familiar movies with burning cups of hot chocolate in hand.

"Yeah well...it's chilly," Cece tried to smile back. But something in her throat was a bit too big to swallow making the thought of smiling seem impossible.

"Are you nervous?" Fili asked again, peeking around a corner before shuffling silently around it.

"I don't know," Cece found herself saying. And she was right. She didn't know how she felt.

"Oh?" Fili responded, something easing in his shoulders as the conversation seemed to get rolling.

"I mean I know I don't want you to die," Cece said, surprisingly a hint of something funny in her voice. Fili chuckled.

"Oh...thank you," He smiled down at her, dimples peeking out from between his beard.

"I just don't know...I guess it kind of scares me," Cece shrugged, though she wasn't sure Fili would be able to tell under all her armour.

"Welcome to my world," He smiled again, though this time with something sad in his eyes. A beat.

"It's weird that I haven't actually lived in this world and not known what comes next," Cece hummed as she peeked down a set of broken stairs.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I think a part of me would enjoy it more…if I didn't know…" Cece paused, "Then again...I am scared shitless over possibly _not_ knowing,"

"Understandable," Fili said, his smile gone but his voice soft. Fili then opened his mouth to say something else his dimpled grin returning, when he froze. The glint in his eye sparking into nothingness.

"What?" Cece asked, something cool running the length of her spine, "What is it?"

"Can you hear that?" Fili whispered, his freakish dwarf hearing taking over. Cece froze, wide eyes glancing back and forth across the narrow hallway. For a while, she didn't hear it, only stony silence. But then a distinguishable yell cut through like glass. Thorin?

_"Behind you Bilbo!"_

_"There's too many!"_ Kili?

 _"We have to keep trying!"_ Dwalin? Cece looked behind her, the source of where the noise seemed to be coming, and it wasn't long before Fili had grabbed her arm and together they sprinted back down the corridor. Adrenalin was released in Cece's body like a group of bloodthirsty hounds. The stone which she had been so careful to walk on but a few moments ago now echoed her screaming footsteps right back at her, it was surprising how fast Fili and Cece reached the set of stairs Thorin and Bilbo disappeared up, but there was no time to stop, no time to breathe.

_Up, up, up. Faster, faster, faster._

Fili and Cece swirled in a storm of twisting rocks, where the light was cool and careless, piercing like glass over cracks and crevasses of a dying building. They burst from the narrow walls onto a ledge, an expanse of stone barely bathed in sunlight where at each of the four corners strong pillars stood reaching for the sky with callous fingers, forming a canopy of shade making any sane man think it was the middle of the night. Shadows of moving bodies and echoes of gargling screams reverberated around the entire structure. It took barely any time for them to spot the group of Thorin, Kili, Dwalin and Bilbo, bathed in sweat as they fought in perfect unison, orc after orc after orc. And so Fili and Cece unsheathed their favourite weapons and joined the fight.

* * *

The group almost took no notice of Fili and Cece as they joined as they soon all became one mass of fighting muscle. Cece had just pulled her elfish sword out of an orc's neck when she heard the disgusting tongue from a far too familiar voice. Turning around she watched, almost in slow motion, as Thorin and Azog's swords met, the clang of metal on metal ringing around and around in her ears, she could feel the air shaking her teeth, chattering her bones, and gripping her spine. With fingers like ice, fear wrapped its hands around her throat.

 _Not here, not now_ was all Cece could think, _we need to face one problem at a time_. Cece could almost feel herself lifting out of her body, turning with slow eyes to where she stood. Her hand grasping her sword with limp fingers as she watched with an unreadable look in her eyes at Thorin and Azog's battling bodies. Missing how Bilbo had just saved her from the dagger of a brawny orc. She watched as the own clogs in her head began to turn, something new, something fresh buzzing through her. Bravery? In this moment she thought of Rosie's courage, Frankie's undeniable strength, both physical and mental. Her fingers grasped stronger around her sword. She thought of her mother back home, how she struggled to manage three jobs at once just so Cece could go to school. Fear's fingers trembled around her throat. She thought of the girl she was back in earth, dreaming of being a teacher and then she thought of the women she had become, a warrior, a princess, a fighter. She lifted her sword high, her mouth opening in as a new scream ricocheted like a silver bullet against the walls of this castle of stone, ice and death. And in a sudden, she was back in her body. Her feet underneath her once more, pounding over ground that was moving too fast to see. She was heading straight for Azog.

The silver of her sword met the silver of Azog's scaly flesh and cut a length of her forearm which then spluttered out a brown-red blood. The beast turned to her, his mouth frozen in mid-air, pain laced with his features. Cece once again raised her sword colliding it with all her might against Azog's breastplate, surprisingly he stumbled back.

"Cece, get back!" She heard the stern voice of Thorin, she didn't even look at him as she raised her sword once more, "Cece!"

 _"I can't!"_ She briefly yelled as she made her sword meet with Azog's bare thigh, another cut.

 _"Cece!"_ Thorin simply called once more as he killed another orc with the flick of his sword, his eyes darting around the room, but always returning to Azog's form which was now growling as he looked upon Cece's small figure. Thorin pounded forward to intervene but was stopped by a sword that was far too familiar.

"Not here, not now," Fili said loudly as he glared at Thorin with icy eyes too alike his own.

 _"Go Thorin!"_ Cece yelled as she dived out of the way of Azog's own blade.

"She's right!" Fili called, dropping his sword and slaying another orc. Thorin appeared lost for words as he stared at his sister-son and a woman a few months ago, he never would have dreamt that he would take orders from. Thorin didn't move. _"GO!"_ Fili yelled once more as he took a step back towards Azog's blade, _"Find Rosie!"_ He called once more, throwing a dagger neatly to the right, a body falling to the floor. Thorin opened his mouth to speak, to ask, but whatever he was going to say would never be heard. A flood of orc bodies swarmed the space between the two and Thorin was cut off from his nephew. He lifted his sword, ready to fight his way through to Azog, but something tugged at his spine, pulling him back, his feet stumbling limply, following his body. Turning around he saw a set of steps leading down and away, away from this fight, _his fight._

 _No_ , Thorin thought. He would not leave his people to fight his battles for him. It was something he’d never done, and he wasn’t prepared to start. But as he turned back around he heard the desperate plea of Cece once more in his mind. He had never seen her like that before, seemingly so sure of herself yet so scared. A voice inside his head reminded him that she had never done anything before if not for the greater good. With his shoulders drooping defeatedly Thorin stumbled back and down the steps. Maybe this was not his fight. He glanced over his shoulder at the familiar tuft of blonde hair with braids tied with beads of Thorin’s own heritage. No, maybe this was no his fight.

Fili turned to Cece and watched as she very nearly received the edge of Azog’s blade had she not ducked behind a passing orc. Raising his own sword, he nipped Azog on the arm, pulling his attention away from Cece’s form. Cece watched with wide eyes as Azog began swinging his blade as fast and hard as he could towards Fili. However, Fili was strong in the art of battle and with every blow Aoog gave Fili seemed to have a perfect response. Taking this moment in time, Cece peeked over the thinning crowd of orcs to where the others were. She watched as Bilbo peered down the edge his brows furrowed in confusion. Bilbo then motioned to Dwalin and Kili, after they all peered down the edge, they shared a glance and a few words. And Cece watched intently as they then raced down another set of stairs with a group of orcs then following. What remained of the crowd was now divided almost perfectly in half.

Cece then formed a mini plan in her mind, not bothering to question what could have grabbed Bilbo’s attention, she decided to go for it. Checking once more that Fili was handling Azog, Cece turned to the crowd of around 15 orcs which were all trying to get down the staircase at once. _I can do this._ Charging forward she met her sword with the bodies of two orcs, not even watching as their lifeless bodies hit the floor. She then turned began slaying the small crowd. With each blow, she gave she was reminded of the long days spent in Rivendell, Fili in front of her smiling as she managed to successfully tap him. Memories flooded her mind of making pancakes, the look on Thorin’s face when he offered them a place in the company, Elrond telling her that she will probably never go home. And with an ache echoing through her chest, she painfully pushed these memories to the side.

One by one, orcs fell before her, brutally slain by Cece’s own hand. She tried not to throw up. Every so often she would throw a glance at Fili, but soon she couldn’t look out for him as much as she needed to look out for herself. It wasn’t long before she was covered head to toe in blood, but thankfully not her own. The small crowd now noticing her.

She was down to her final orc, one that stood around a foot taller than Cece, brawny and brutal. In one moment, Cece froze with fear giving the orc to swiftly, in one motion, knocked the sword out of her hand. Panic. Cece watched with wide eyes as her sword clattered towards the ledge it’s metal shimmering golden in the sunlight, glowing for a split second before teetering and falling off the edge. Cece turned back to the orc, pushing away the distant sound of her sword hitting the floor. The orc was now grinning at her with sickening teeth. But then his grin froze, his top lip quivering ever so slightly as his eyes squinted. His body then began to shake ever so slightly, spasming as his own weapon clattered to the floor. Cece watched as he then, like the sword, teetered backwards before falling with a thud. Cece now noticed Fili’s favourite dagger protruding from its heart.

Lurching forward Cece tugged on the dagger until it gave, trying to ignore the squelching sound that followed and turned around, almost dropping the dagger at what she saw. Fili was pushed against a wall, Azog holding a bar of jagged wood up against his throat with one hand, whilst his blade was raised in the other. Time seemed to stop. Cece moved forward, no plan in her head, just pure and utter need to stop Azog. So she ran, her footsteps a million miles away. Her knuckles burning white as she gripped on to Fili’s dagger with all she had.

Time seemed to slow down as she got closer and closer, her anger at Azog’s scarred form growing as his blade raised higher and higher. And then she was jumping, soaring through the air in a way she never knew she could. The dagger raised with both hands above her head as she collided with Azog’s back causing him to drop the wood from Fili’s now purple neck.

Azog roared something so far from human echoing throughout Cece’s bare bones. With tight fingers, she grabbed onto Azog with everything she had. He swung and swung, trying to reach for her small form with clumsy fingers. Cece wrapped her legs around his chest like two pythons, and with a hearty yell, brought the dagger down into Azog’s shoulder. Azog once again roared in frustration, and Cece felt tiredness dribble down her body like icy water. And then Azog was grasping onto Cece’s arms, and Cece felt something within her give, she was once more flying, glimpses of sun through stone curving its way around her eyes right into her skull. She didn’t see Azog, she didn’t see Fili. She simply saw the stone wall which she collided with and heard the crunch as her cheek met stone.

Cece could actually feel her body slumping, energy pouring out of her like an open wound. She crumpled like a corpse, rolling to face a ledge. She could see the mountains. The sun had turned them gold. They sparkled and shone with something magical, something so magical. She heard footsteps but God they were so far away. She heard harsh words, she heard whispers. But nothing mattered like the birds. She saw them, dancing in the air, swirling in a sun that she had grown to love. Swallows.

Then she saw Fili. He was holding her face, but she couldn’t feel it. He was looking at her in a way she never wanted him to, but he was. The sun spilt onto his features, she could see the sun reflected in the deep blue seas that were his eyes. The sun caused his golden hair to glow like a halo, something surreal that she wondered if he was actually there in front of her. There was a cut on his lip, but Cece’s arms felt a million miles away. Oh, how she wished to touch him, to feel him, to hold onto him. His lips were moving, rapidly, a string of words laced with worry dribbling out of his mouth.

“Don’t leave me,” Cece found herself saying, her stomach coughing as a nauseated feeling swept her up in its arms.

“I won’t,” She heard him say. But he was gone, she couldn’t see him anymore, she couldn’t see the sun, she couldn’t see the swallows. The wind was no longer in her hair and she was no longer there. Darkness came, something warm, something strong. Cece curled into its lap and let it tug her away. It wasn’t angry, it wasn’t sad, it was calm and it was so, so beautiful. Cece hummed at the feeling of it, wrapping around her, tighter and tighter, and then she realized that they had met before. But this time, she wasn’t scared.


	49. Falling For You

Frankie walked with uncertainty as horrid noises rung through the stone buildings, washing over and over her like waves of warning. As the sounds bore on she moved with more pace, the muscles around her lower thighs clenching in a way that had become familiar over the past few months. She had run into Bofur a while back who had been the one to tell her where Thorin was, unfortunately, she may or may not have gotten a little lost whilst trying to find him.

Everything looked the same, but maybe that was because she was going around and around in circles, a dizzying roller-coaster that she couldn’t stand for much longer. Huffing in frustration, Frankie leaned against a stone wall, something wet dripping from her forehead onto her cheek. The sounds washed over her once more, a gargle of crooning cries and the sickening ticking of metal on metal, she was running out of time. Then, an idea dawned on her. Follow the noise.

Slowly, Frankie peeled herself from the wall, now taking time with her steps, carefully listening to the music of battle and following where it led. She was closer than she thought. Haste swelled within in her legs and she found a rhythm in her steps, the drum of armour colliding with armour beating through her body. Turn left, right and right again. _Move, move, move._

She swerved and swayed until the harmony of hostility was beating there right in front of her. A building that was dripping with something murky, it breathed an opaque gloom and warning signs were painted in blood at the entrance. They were telling her to turn away and run, run fast and run far. But no, she couldn’t, not now, not after everything she had been through. Frankie took a deep breath and stepped forward. However, she didn’t get very far as a figure collapsed its way down the steps and out through the entrance laying before her, a puddle of soggy breaths. Frankie armed herself.

“Thorin?” Frankie asked as the familiar grey fur moved with it’s heavy, familiar breaths.

“Oh…Frankie…” Thorin said, both glad and sad to see her.

“Are you…are you running away?” Frankie asked, trying to see Thorin’s face from where he was hunched over.

“No,” Thorin said sternly, “No…” He repeated, trailing off with a note of uncertainty in his voice, “Cece told me to leave, and I think it is wise not to question her judgement…I mean…after everything we’ve been through,” He said, standing up straight and wincing slightly as a brutal scream whipped around them.

“Oh…” Frankie trailed off, “Wait - _Cece’s up there_!” Frankie cried, trying to see past Thorin to the entrance, grasping onto the tiny note of hope within her that she would see a familiar blonde bush.

“Frankie…it’s okay, it’s under control,” Thorin said softly, he seemed to be reassuring himself more than her. “Anyways, before I left I saw another orc army heading our way, we need to gather the others and get to the sea of ice. We have Azog here, we have him cornered, we need to keep it that way,” Thorin said sternly, climbing a nearby rock and looking out over the rocky expanse. He probably knew these walls better than anyone.

“Okay,” Frankie said, defeated. She glanced once more up at the tall structure, the knowledge that her friends were up there fighting echoed throughout her. _This wasn’t right_. She swayed slightly as she looked up, her mind racing away, searching desperately for a sign of comfort. But she came crashing back to reality when she saw a sign of comfort looking right back at her. “Is that Bilbo?”

The familiar face of a tired looking hobbit was staring right back at her, seemingly just as alarmed to see her as she was him. Frankie turned to Thorin slightly, her eyes never leaving the hobbit. She was just about to open her mouth once more when he disappeared.

“Did you see that?” Thorin asked, his eyes too fixed on the point where Bilbo’s brown tufts used to be.

“Yes,” Frankie muttered back.

“Good,” Thorin sighed, “I’m not going mad,” At another point of time Frankie might have laughed, but just then two more familiar faced peeked over the edge, one more familiar than she liked to let on.

“ _Kili_ ,” She breathed, low enough that Thorin couldn’t hear her. He stared right at her and Frankie was amazed how she could see how his chocolaty eyes glowed from such a distance. He had something red smeared on his cheek, but he still gave her a cheeky grin and a wink before disappearing. Frankie’s heart fluttered. She raised a hand and placed it on her chest, it was beating so fast she became slightly worried that Thorin would be able to hear it. He probably could with his freakish dwarf hearing. But as her quivering fingers brushed the smooth armour over her left breast she found something that caused her heart to beat even faster. Kili’s promise stone was tucked neatly in the folds of metal that she bore. Strong and stable over her pulsating heart. Something within her seemed to settle.

Frankie softly tugged her fingers away from her chest, her mind now only able to think of a certain brown-haired prince. She turned slightly from Thorin, wanting to share this personal moment with herself and only herself when her heart nearly beat right out of her throat. There he was. Standing in front of her, bloody, beaten, bruised…but alive.

“Hi,” He smiled cheekily. Frankie smirked as she felt her heart now racing at an ungodly speed. This boy would be the death of her. She resisted the urge to hug him until their bones crushed into each other and they became one, it seemed rather unnecessary since they had only departed from each other a few minutes ago. Frankie instead chose to give him her best smile, thinking desperately for something witty to say, but as she opened her mouth to speak two other forms crashed down the stairs. _Cece_. Frankie jerked forward, desperate for blonde hair, desperate for a sign of her friend but she was met with the gaze of a hobbit and an older dwarf.

“Where’s Cece?” Frankie said before anyone could start a new topic, “And Fili…where’s Fili?” Panic rose within her.

“Frankie calm down,” She heard the voice of Dwalin, but her eyes were fixed on the building behind him. “They’re upstairs, we were fighting but we decided to come down and lead most of the orcs away. We got them lost in the hallways and managed to barricade them in…we can deal with them later,”

“So…what? You just left Cece and Fili?” Frankie glared at him questioningly, “Teamwork is obviously one of your stronger skills Dwalin,”

“Look, they seemed to be handling things, I’ll go back up there in a second. But whilst we were up there we saw another army heading our way…thought you might like to know,” Dwalin retorted.

“I saw that too Dwalin,” Thorin spoke up, “We better plan something quickly, splitting up works,”

“No Thorin, there’s another, coming from over there,” Dwalin said pointing in the opposite direction. Thorin turned to look.

“ _Oh Mahal_ ,” Thorin muttered under his breathe, “Okay, Frankie you go with Kili to the sea of ice…everyone should be there already…join in the fight and once that’s done, meet back here. Dwalin, go back up there and check on Fili and Cece, make sure they're alright and then when that’s done deal with the orcs who are trapped in. Bilbo and I shall go this way and check out what’s happening…if you can report back here in 30 minutes,” Thorin rapidly gushed. It wasn’t really a plan, but it was an idea, and right now, that’s all they had.

“Sounds pretty solid,” Frankie says whilst checking how many bows she had, “Let’s go-“

“ _Wait_!” A voice echoed from not too far away, followed by the pitter patter of fast footsteps. Before they knew what was going on, the form of Rosie was already before them, hunched over and breathing heavy, “ _I’m here_ ,” She heaved, “ _I’m here_ ,”

“Rosie?” Thorin asked eyebrows furrowed, “Wha- where’s everyone else?”

“Sea of ice, fighting orcs, but there’s more coming from the north, that’s why I’m here,” Rosie spluttered in broken sentences.

“You’ll be surprised to find out that we have, actually, already noticed that,” Frankie commented, her usual sass a surprise to no one. Rosie turned smiling at her friend, giving her a look that was far too familiar when Rosie began to frown.

“Wait…” She whispered under her breathe as she spun around, looking at everyone in the group, “Where’s Cece…and Fili?”

“They’re up there,” Said Thorin coolly as he gestured to the tower. Rosie, trusting Thorin, trusting her friend, didn’t question it.

“Okay,” She said softly, glancing from person to person, “Plan?”

“We’ve got one,” Thorin said, “But…let’s all go this way, Dwalin you still check on Cece and Fili and then go check on the others, judge on where we need most of our fighters, then come and report to us, we’ll be at the north-most point, fighting,” As he said this a small shiver ran the length of Rosie’s spine. She ignored it.

“Okay,” Everyone seemed to mumble at the same time.

“Now let’s go before we end up changing the plan again,” And with that, they were off.

* * *

Even the way the army moved made Frankie feel sick. She was standing atop a raised piece of stone, probably the remains of a balcony surprisingly very much like the one in Rivendell. Dwarves and elves are more alike then they would ever care to admit.

Like Rosie had said there was an army heading from the north, it wasn’t utterly massive, the five of them could take it down but with some difficulty. It was time for the girl’s fighting skills to be truly tested.

“Scared?” Kili asked from beside her, Frankie scoffed in response. Kili smiled. “Didn’t think so,”

“Come on you two!” Rosie called from where she was already a few meters ahead with Thorin and Bilbo. They were chatting as if they were walking through a garden, swinging the weapons of choice by their side with little to none visible worry. The small group were weaving their way in and out of broken buildings making their way up and up, they needed some higher ground.

Frankie smiled at the back of her friend’s head before jumping down from the rock and falling into step a little while behind them, Kili staying close beside her as they opened onto a small bridge, they were almost at the north-most point. Kili opened his mouth ready to share a witty thought to Frankie who was already smiling, ready to hear it when something caught his eye.

“Did you see that?” He asked instead. Frankie frowned.

“See what?” Just then there was a loud clang of metal snapping and the entire group stopped peering around for barely a second when a something large and circular smashed its way into the bridge, only a few feet from the forms of Thorin, Rosie and Bilbo. Frankie threw herself forward as she heard her friends cry out, but before she could move Kili already had a vice-like grip on her hand and was pulling her back to the other side before they could help the others, they needed to ensure that they themselves were safe.

By the time they reached the safety of the solid stone Frankie could look back just in time to see the middle part of the bridge waver before collapsing to the far away ground. _What the hell just happened_? Frankie would have panicked had she not just seen her friends safely racing into a building, all of them fit and well.

“Look,” Kili said lowly as he pointed down to a dark corner in the ice. A group of orcs handling a black cannon…and another…and another. The more Frankie looked around the more seemed to present themselves, was this the beginning of the army. Frankie was so endorsed in looking for more orcs that she didn’t even notice Kili’s presence missing from her side. “Look up there,” Came his voice from a few meters to her left. “A ledge,”

Kili was pointing to a ledge made from stone a little way above them, easily accessible by climbing a few broken rocks. “We can climb that,” Kili continued, “It will get us somewhere safe at least,” So they did. Kili went first, his experience of climbing the sides of mountains was much greater than Frankie’s, after all, he did grow up in the blue mountains. And before they knew it they were on the ledge in one big heaving pile of armour.

“Harder than it looks,” Frankie gasped, a note of laughter in her voice.

“Yeah,” Kili chuckled. Laughing in the midst of a war may seem impossible to him, but that was always the magic of Frankie.

“We could just lie here…never get up,” Frankie said softly after a moment of silence, she was looking up at the sky watching as grey melted into blue melted into white. Something twitched in Kili’s heart.

“Yeah, we could also risk getting killed,” Kili said jokingly but didn’t move.

“To be perfectly honest I think that’s a risk worth taking,” Frankie sighed, sitting up, her armour clinking as her metal scales slid over one another. As Frankie looked around her, something unsettling became very apparent to her. “Oh no…no, no,” She said, rushing to her feet as she swirled around. This ledge, this stupid ledge, it’s so familiar, so God damn familiar.

“What? _What_?” Kili asked as he too scrabbled to his feet. Frankie whirled around to him, his innocence of mind a haunting view. She couldn’t tell him. She simply couldn’t.

“ _Nothing…_ ” Frankie breathed. The word but a sigh carried by her breath. Kili stood a little taller.

“Well clearly-“He began but was cut off by the sound of metal footsteps dancing over stone. Swivelling around, Frankie drew her sword barely in time to meet the blade of an orc, and before she knew what was happening she and Kili were a whirlwind of battle. Orcs poured like water from a storm onto the serene scene.

Blades breaking bones, swords slicing skin. Sounds of battle that would haunt their nightmares for years to come. At all times Frankie knew exactly where Kili was, she had decided that actually, it would be helpful if Kili knew what was supposed to happen, if only the fighting could stop for a few seconds, so she could fill him in.

Slowly, orc by orc, the crowd thinned, and the pile of bodies grew. Maybe they could do this. Then Frankie was pulling her blade out for the grey flesh of a limp body and turning to fight…no one. The only person left standing on the ledge was Kili, and he was staring at her with a slight smile in his eyes and a smirk on his lips, something dark splattered like paint over his handsome features. God, she loved that boy. Slowly, and then all at once, they were moving towards each other. And as the last thing living, the last thing moving in a sea of lifeless masses of meat, they embraced. Hugging with heavy breaths and quivering muscles.

“Kili…” Frankie hummed in his ear, a whisper sweeter than syrup.

“I know,” He hummed back, his breath mingling with her hair and fluttering over her bare neck. Then she was pulling back to meet her lips with his, and she swore her knees gave out, but it wouldn’t matter, he was holding her so tightly. And in a moment of pure chaos, they found a sea of stillness within each other, a mass of music that did not come from metal meeting meat. And the happiness they found within each other lay as a sea would before a sailor. As wide as your eyes could see and with a deepness that you could only discover by swimming to the very bottom. Every day something new to find. Every day something new to cherish and love and be grateful for. Be grateful for the pure privilege of seeing one another so often.

And as they shared this moment, with the world around them at ease, the sky began to fall and they found themselves being interrupted by Frankie’s entire world literally being turned upside down. For a sharp second Frankie became airborne by the force of a hand on her back, but soon her spine met stone and she was once more on the cool floor. Her vision instantly bubbled, black spots pricked like blood across her vision. But as she half-sat-half-slumped she looked up and managed to see the outline of an orc. An orc, larger than any she had seen before, a beast worthy of the name stood at seven feet, coated in broken armour and worn skin stretched over bags of muscle.

Kili already had his sword out and raised, but it was beat out of his hand with a flick of the wrist. Frankie watched through black spotted vision as Kili was raised to the heavens, pain laced in his features as the orc grinned with little to no teeth. _No_. It was a calm thought as Frankie struggled to her feet. _No_. She stumbled forwards, her head causing the sky and stone to spin rapidly. _No_. Then she was gripping onto the back of the beast, her sword coming down over and over again onto the grey skin. The animal roared in frustration and threw Kili’s form to the side where he crumpled against stone steps. Frankie too found her voice and yelled as her sword punctured the skin of the orc’s lower back, pulling back the sword stayed horizontal, propped up by the animal’s muscle who was now howling in pain.

It swung around to gaze down on Frankie and in an act of fear, she ducked to the side, skirting around the beast towards the edge of the ledge where she could see Kili. The animal followed her, anger growing by the second. Frankie met eyes with Kili and felt her heart pick up pace, _he was okay_. He smiled at her softly, from where he frail form seemed unable to move. But as soon as the feeling of calmness and hope settled within her chest it evaporated into thin air.

The beast pushed her down, the whole of her left side now dangled over the side, daring to fall down to broken rocks below. She could hear Kili trying to get to his feet, but that didn’t matter right now, all she could see was the monster above her bringing down the edge of a staff down onto her chest causing her entire body to convulse with agony. Waves of electric pain caused her muscles to quiver and for a vision to almost go. Frankie barely saw Kili jump onto the back of the orc, her frail fingers were fingering the metal over her heart, with a shiver she simply pushed the broken armour to the side to reveal Kili’s promise stone broken into several small pieces.

Frankie felt the overwhelming urge to cry, but she picked up as many pieces as she could and held them in her hand, concentrating and the pain of the sharp edges digging into her palm. She looked up once more to the sky, it was empty, barren and vacant of all life. She looked down at the stones in her hands and then she looked at Kili, her valiant soldier who was currently pulling on the neck of the orc. They locked eyes for less than a second. Brown melting into brown. And the chocolate orbs were the last thing she saw, as the orc kicked her with a large, heavy boot. And her body slumped over the edge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas <3 Happy Hanukkah<3 Happy Holidays<3


	50. The Final Curtain Call

Rosie, Thorin and Bilbo plummeted up the stairs of the nearest building, moving fast and far left with only hope that Frankie and Kili had made it to safe ground. When Thorin came to the realisation that nothing was following them, he slowed to a stop with the others following in suite. They stood for a moment, hunched over, clutching their lungs and various stitches as they listened carefully to any and all noise. Finally, after several prolonged seconds, someone spoke.

“What was that?” Bilbo gasped as he stood upright, wincing slightly as he did so.

“My best guess…a cannonball,” Thorin sighed, stretching out his right leg, shifting his weight onto the crumbling stone wall.

“Seriously?” Rosie huffed, “A cannonball?”

“Oh, do you not have those on earth?” Thorin asked, one hundred percent serious.

“No, no,” Rosie said hastily trying to cover up her growing smile, “Just cannonballs remind me of pirates and stuff, not really middle earth but-” Rosie could feel herself rambling, “That doesn’t matter now does it,” A pause as the three settled back down into their own thoughts, planning and scheming in their own ways, “What do we do now?” Rosie finally spoke up. Thorin opened his mouth to speak but before he could do so Bilbo had already got there first.

“Higher ground,” He said causing both Thorin and Rosie to turn to him with a little shock dancing in both of their features, this inevitably caused Bilbo to lose his voice a little, “I mean…that’s what you taught me…to do…in situations like this,” Bilbo continued, shifting is weight back and forth, for one of the bravest people Rosie had ever had the fortune of meeting, Bilbo sure did lose faith in himself far too easily. Thorin and Rosie shared a look.

“He’s right,” Thorin said, and so the small group began to climb the nearby stairwell. They moved in silence for a while, once again buried deep in their own little pits of ponderings till Rosie decided to speak her mind.

“Do you think Frankie and Kili are alright?” Rosie said softly, her voice reverberating gently down the spiralling stone.

“We can only hope,” Thorin replied, just as tenderly. A beat.

“Are you worried about them?” Bilbo asked from behind Rosie, his light footsteps the quietest of the three.

“Me?” Thorin asked turning around to peer at the hobbit who nodded in response, “Yes…well...I’m worried about everyone, it’s my duty to…and even if it wasn’t they’re my friends, family even,”

“Even me?” Rosie said jokingly, “And Frankie and…Cece?” She said, know finding the note of funny disappearing from her voice quicker than she would have liked it to. Thorin stopped abruptly on the stairwell almost causing Rosie and Bilbo to crash straight into his back. Slowly, he turned around.

“Rosie…” He said softly, his blue orbs looked at her delicately whilst he searched for the right thing to say. Rosie felt a breath hitch in her throat as he moved down a few steps to stand nearer to her, he was so close Rosie could feel the warm beating of his skin against her own. “You are…just as important to the company as anyone else…okay? I understand that in your situation you may think that, truly, deep down you don’t belong…but…to us, to me…you remind me more of a home than Erebor did when I first walked under its walls…” Thorin finally said. This particular statement caused Rosie’s eyes to widen.

“Thorin…how can you say that?” She spluttered out, shocked that he could even think a thing like that.

“It’s the truth, I will swear it on anything,” Thorin kindly smiled, the corners of his eyes creasing ever so slightly as he did so. “And you,” he looked over Rosie’s shoulder at the small hobbit, “You are…the bravest warrior I have ever had the pleasure of working with,” Bilbo shuffled his overly large feet from side to side, not quite making eye contact with anyone.

“I guess I…I’m not just a grocer then,” The smallest member of the company smiled up at his friend.

“No,” Thorin murmured in a quick breath, “No,” He said more surely, his smile never leaving his face, “You Bilbo, are a burglar…and a mighty honest one at that.” Silence settled calmly over the small stairwell as our three heroes stared at each other with sombre smiles splashed on their faces. And in this moment of peace, the late afternoon light began to settle, turning the bright white sun, pink, orange, purple and red, painting the sky and the land in a warm light. And in this moment, it truly did appear like everything was going to be okay. But of course, moments like these, don’t last forever. A piercing scream cut the silence like a knife, it was like none Rosie had ever heard before and the hobbit, dwarf, and girl were snapped out of their trances.

“Come on, the roof!” Rosie said, turning away from the sweet scene and racing once more up the stairs.

* * *

The three arrived at the roof, spilling out onto the sleeping rocks and quickly searching for any immediate signs of danger. When none presented themselves, their movements slowed until they eventually stopped at the very edge of the barren roof. They had a mighty view of the battlefield.

“Look,” Thorin said excitedly pointing to where armies met armies in a vicious and brutal contest.

“What?” Both Rosie and Bilbo said at the same time, searching for what Thorin could possibly be so excited about.

“Do you not see? The battle is ceasing…” He said softly, the corners of his lips being pulled upwards ever so slightly.

“So?” Bilbo trailed off.

“We’re winning,” Thorin added and Rosie and Bilbo understood.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Rosie said lightly, trying not to ruin the moment yet also trying to ground her friends “There are still some things we need to sort out before we start, you know, jumping for joy,” She tried to say cheerily, “And anyway, we still have to solve the question of, what was the thing that screamed a few seconds ago?”

As if on cue, another shriek pierced the air, followed by another, and another. The three warriors looked at each other, the same confusion decorated on all their faces. They listened some more to the raw and gargling screams until something dawned on Thorin.

“Those aren’t human…or dwarf…or elf screams….” He trailed off, “No,” He listened some more, “Those screams belong to orcs.” Bewilderment sparked inside Rosie and she stepped away from the view of the battle and turned face her surroundings.

“They're coming from the bridge,” She said suddenly, rushing to the far-right edge of the roof and peering down to a sight that was the _last_ thing she expected to see.

“ _Oh my God_ ,” Rosie gasped, suddenly feeling the presence of both Thorin and Bilbo next to her, “That’s Lord Elrond,” And Lord Elrond it was.

He was standing on what remained of the start of the bridge, his rose-gold armour shining like a beacon through the shadows as he swiftly beheaded three orcs with the flick of his wrist. But it gets better, Elrond didn’t come alone. Surrounding him were around one hundred plus elves bearing similar yet less noble armour to Elrond’s. They were all in the heat of battle with the gritty orcs, dotted everywhere and anywhere that Rosie could visibly see. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

“Elrond!” Rosie couldn’t help but cry out, a happy feeling swelling swiftly in her chest. Elrond casually slit the neck of a nearby orc before turning around in search of the recognisable voice he just heard. Then, he noticed a small body atop of the building ahead of him, waving their arms rapidly in the sky.

“Hello, Rosie!” He smiled up at the building, entrusting the elves surrounding him to protect him whilst he conversed with his friend. “I heard from a friend that you needed help, so I decided to deliver,” He said nonchalantly whilst killing a handful of orcs with the least effort you could possibly fathom. Rosie smiled practically unable to believe that this was really happening.

“Who’s the friend that tipped you off?” She shouted down after a moment, Elrond opened his mouth to speak but was quickly cut off by a voice that warmed Rosie’s heart to the very core.

“Why I do believe that would be me,” Gandalf’s rough yet soothing voice came from right below her. Rosie then swung herself right over the edge to look down at where Gandalf was stood at the base of the building, killing an orc here and there, clearly drained of energy from the battle he had just engaged in with Sauron. It was at this point where Rosie began to laugh until a thought dawned on her.

“Wait…Galadriel-”

“Is safe in Lothlórien,” Elrond said over the noise of battle, “Do not worry Rosie. I would not come if I was putting anyone or anything in danger, especially Lady Galadriel.” He smiled up at her before turning and re-joining the battle, the conversation over. Rosie turned to her friends.

“I guess we don’t have to worry about the army coming from the north anymore,” She smiled ecstatically.

“Now, now,” Thorin said, his smile quivering ever so slightly, “Remember what you said a few moments ago, there are still things we need to sort out,” Rosie’s smile disappeared and was replaced by a thoughtful demeanour.

“Right,” She said, “Yes…okay,” She thought for a moment before Bilbo spoke up.

“What…what exactly is left…to do I mean,” The Hobbit said in his soft voice. Rosie glanced at Thorin before turning to her smaller friend.

“Well, I guess Azog is our main priority,” She huffed thinking, “But to defeat him we need to go right back to the building where we left Fili and Cece,” Rosie thought aloud. There was another pause as the three thought, all of them trying to block out the gargling noises that radiated from below.

“Not necessarily,” Thorin said, his eyes fixed on a point over Rosie’s shoulder. Following her instinct, Rosie turned around and saw another sea of ice. A heavy mist hung low to the blue landscape, curling and coiling around its self in a way that reminded Rosie of a snake. She stared at it for a while, simply lost in the movement of the white wispy curls when she saw what Thorin was talking about. Slowly as the mist shifted a shadow began to form at the centre of the ice, it stood well over seven foot and was a still as the land it stood on. Chills were pulled like a string of metal beads down Rosie’s back. The mist was constantly moving and soon the shadow became more defined, black, blue and grey hues became visible, followed by different materials, metal, browning cloth and a blade the length of a familiar forearm. The name slipped as swiftly into all three minds. Azog.

“My God,” Rosie heard Bilbo mutter, but he seemed far away. This was not the first time Rosie had seen Azog, but this was the first time Rosie feared Azog. She knew now more than ever, at this point in time, what he was capable of. These past few months have been spent waiting for this single moment in time, days and nights of sitting with her two best friends planning, arranging and scheming how to change this moment, how to change a story that’s already been written.

And now Rosie stood, with the two heroes of a story she fell in love with long ago, trying to prepare herself for what was about to take place. She did this by concentrating on her breath, concentrating on the silence she found up here, away from the bloodbath below, away from it all, she concentrated on her goal and what she was willing to do to get to it. Closing her eyes, she drew one last breath, feeling it as it was drawn from between her teeth, hitting the back of her throat and filling her lungs with an icy air. The calm before the storm.

“Shall we?” Thorin asked to no one in particular as he moved forward, the question remained rhetorical and so Bilbo and Rosie followed. They slowly moved, taking their time to pick a path over the stone that connected the building they were on to the sea of ice. Whilst they were doing this Azog took no notice of them, standing on a body of water that very much matched the lining of his skin. Azog didn’t even turn to them when they took their first steps on the ice and submerged themselves in lungfuls of mist.

It was only when they stood before him in a line, Thorin in the middle, Rosie on the left and Bilbo on the right, bearing all they had in front of their greatest enemy, did Azog even move. He stood side on, allowing the three to draw in his immense muscle and might as he turned his head and looked down at the three. Rosie half expected him to start talking about the lovely winter they were having by his calm appearance, but unfortunately the funny of the situation was a light that had been doused long ago.

“ _You brought help_ ,” Azog said calmly, his tongue only knowing the one hideous language.

“They chose to come,” Thorin responded quickly. Neither Bilbo nor Rosie understood what was being said, but they could grasp at strings. Azog gave Thorin a calm look, it was the first time Rosie had seen him as somewhat…human.

“ _This is not their fight_ ,” Azog responded. A beat.

“Look around you,” Thorin said delicately, his voice barely audible, “All around us, there are people fighting, people dying…my people, your people. They are here today, to risk dying, because of us,” Azog’s face remained stony, “This is their fight as much as it is ours, the only difference between us and them is that at the end of the day, we’re responsible. For every life, for every limb and for every love that’s now gone, we’re responsible.” The small homily was left in the air for a moment. The reality of Thorin’s words, a harsh truth, and it appeared that only the noblest of those on the ice contemplated Thorin’s words. But just as a small peace seemed to be met, it was broken once more by the hand of Azog.

Before Rosie knew what was happening the ice she was standing on was shattered into multiple shards by the hands of Azog’s flail, the water that sat dormant underneath a layer of frost soon became alive and Rosie was now very much unsteady as she slowly floated away from her friends. As she tried to regain her balance on the slippery surface she managed to just see as Azog brought his flail down once more, clearly aiming for the body of Thorin, but Thorin was smaller and faster and dodged the spiked ball with little to no worry. Bilbo was closer to Azog than either Thorin or Rosie and to their surprise, actually managed to slash at Azog’s ankles with sting before diving onto the ice behind the beast and sliding to safety behind a stone.

Rosie took this distraction to look around her on how to get onto stable land. The ice she had been left standing on was no longer than 60cm and it was slowly breaking off into smaller and smaller pieces. Soon there would be nothing left. Looking around frantically she saw only water open to her but a few meters behind her was a rocky wall, the closest sign of land. Bending over she frantically propelled herself towards the wall, ignoring the freezing water that was now seeping into her socks. When she was close enough she reached out, searching for a foothold in the rock and when she found one she grabbed onto it tightly. After a moment of rapid breathing, Rosie swung her legs off the ice and onto the wall just as the ice cracked into two halves, which then proceeded to drift away from each other.

Rosie couldn’t look behind her now, if she didn’t pay much attention, she would end up in freezing water in armour that would surely drag her straight to the bottom. Slowly, step by step, grip by grip Rosie shuffled to left and gradually made her way to the ice that was still left intact, trying to block out the noises of a battle that was happening not so far away from her. The knowledge of what she was here to do burned hot on her neck and she felt her cheeks flare up. _How can Thorin and Bilbo be over there, literally fighting for their lives whilst I’m over here, rock climbing?_ Rosie angrily thought as she grabbed onto another piece of black rock. Speed soon won over caution and Rosie was now racing across the wall, desperate to get on land ice and join in the fight. And it happened sooner than she thought.

As soon as Rosie was close enough she decided, fuck it, and jumped for it, landing on the ice with a hollow thud to only begin sliding out of control, spinning around and around and…right into the path of Azog. However, she grabbed control, well, Bilbo did, by literally grabbing her spinning body and dragging her body behind a rock just in time to hear metal meeting ice in the place where she had just been a few seconds ago. Rosie then heard the war cry of a familiar friend and peered over her shoulder just in time to see the blades of Thorin and Azog meet, Azog’s flail now teetering near the edge of the icy ledge, yet still within reach to grey beast. Rosie turned to Bilbo.

“Bilbo,” Rosie prodded her friend with haste.

“Yes?” He whispered back, still looking over the ragged rock at his friend.

“Azog’s… _thing_ is over there, by the edge,” Rosie pointed to where Azog’s flail was, “You go and push it over the side,” Bilbo stopped looking at Thorin and slowly turned to his other friend with a look that could only be described as bewilderment.

“Are you…He’ll _see_ me,” Bilbo said. Rosie settled backwards thinking hard before an idea dawned on her.

“Use your ring,” She said, taking a moment to look at the brave hobbit before her. Bilbo froze.

“How…” He began but she cut him off instantly.

“I told you many months ago, around your own dinner table, that I know this story inside and out,” She smiled softly at him, a comfortable silence softened between the two.

“Frankie…” Bilbo murmured, an odd yet dazed smile drawn on his lips. It was the last thing Rosie expected him to say.

“What about Frankie?

“She knew about the ring…in Mirkwood,” Bilbo trailed off. This squeezed Rosie’s heart painfully as a sea of memories was instantly washed over her. Recollections of being in the Mirkwood jails filled her mind, sitting in her cool jail cell, seeing her friends by flickering candlelight which painted moving shadows onto the walls 24/7, her and just about everyone thinking Thranduil was an ass, meeting Legolas and making a friend for life, being scared over not knowing where Frankie was. All of that seemed like a million years ago, another life, where the future still seemed so open to possibilities.

“Oh, come on Rosie, concentrate,” She muttered to herself, snapping back into reality before turning to Bilbo. “Well go on, do it,” She smiled at him and then peeked back at Thorin who was still battling in blades with Azog, probably wondering where his so-called friends had disappeared to.

Rosie then stood, slipping the blade she picked up in the troll’s cave out of its holder, the hobbit now absent from her side as she stared at a fight. A fight she was going to join. Standing up on top of the rock she made her presence known. But she didn’t have a plan, not this time.

“ _Hey_!” She yelled, her voice the strongest she had ever heard it, Azog paused mid fight and turned to face her, without even registering who she was he had his teeth bared, snarling. This moment felt familiar and Rosie quickly put her finger on it, instantly being reminded of a blonde-haired friend, “ _Fuck you_!” She shouted, trying not to grin so widely as she did so. Azog may not have understood what she said, but to be honest, it didn’t really matter. This small moment of weakness grabbed Azog’s attention long enough for Thorin to gain the higher ground.

Rosie gave Azog her best and brightest smile and Thorin lifted his elvish sword and pierced it through Azog’s back, Thorin them stumbled backwards, tiredness and fatigue becoming evident in his body language as his collapsed in a pile of heaving armour.

Azog’s glare contorted into raw agony. His eyes never left Rosie’s as a trembling, callous hand fumbled around his chest till it met the silver blade which protruded from it. Azog briefly looked down before looking back up, eyes once more meeting those of Rosie’s. It looked as though he was struggling to breathe and Rosie could hear broken air rattling around in what remained of his chest.

His eyes were wide and as his black blood spilt onto the white water, an innocence shrouded around his features and as Rosie stared down at him from her rock, she found that she did not feel any joy or relief from seeing the sight of Azog dying. Thorin’s speech rung around her mind, and she was reminded that Azog was a leader, a flawed one at that, but he only wanted what was best for his people, and in that case, was he really so different from Thorin? Azog stumbled towards Rosie, whilst slowly extending a hand coated in his own blood and Rosie was sickeningly reminded of a child taking their first steps, reaching for a parent. As his frail form moved closer and closer Rosie could feel her heart in her body beating faster, yet she also felt the overwhelming urge to cry. What was Azog going to do in his last moments?

Thorin and Rosie watched in confusion and wonder as he grabbed onto her. His single hand slick with blood from his own body. And Rosie found herself face to face with a being who was so much larger than her yet so vulnerable. He gripped her arm and stared deep into her eyes, searching for something, something to make this moment worth it, something to make this moment last. And in this moment so raw, Rosie wanted to give it to him…and oh, she did.

The feeling of a blade being pushed into your abdomen is probably one of the worst in the world. Rosie felt it from where she stood on her small podium, a pain like no other growing from her gut, right at where her armour joined, the only vulnerable place on her entire body and Azog had pierced it with his blade. As pain grew from her gut she watched as happiness grew in Azog’s eyes, an echo of a smile slipping onto his face. He found what he had been searching for. Rosie didn’t cry out, she didn’t scream, she didn’t even breathe, as for a while she wasn’t even sure what was happening was real as she stared into the pleased, blue orbs of her greatest enemy. But then, happiness, anger, want…all emotion from Azog’s eyes wisped away into a blank and vacant stare, and he teetered backwards, falling over with a dull thud, and consequently pulling the blade out of Rosie’s skin. And as Azog’s body landed with a dull thud, Rosie felt an agony like none she thought was humanly possible, shudder throughout her entire body.

Rosie’s body didn’t ache or groan, it screamed. The pain pounded through her skeleton over and over again, and it felt as though someone was trying to rip her insides out of her body as she stumbled off her stone, her legs barely moving in time to catch her. She could feel the blood spluttering out of her, dribbling down her leg, dibbing inside her thighs and pooling her shoes. Hastily she pushed her hands down on her abdomen and like a child, tried to push the crimson liquid back inside her body.

“Is Azog dead?” She heard Thorin say but his voice dissolved in the back of her mind as her head began to spin. “Rosie?” Who was talking? Was it Thorin or was she hearing voices? “Rosie,” This voice sounded clearer, it snapped her eyes open and she found Thorin’s familiar face staring at her with confusion. She could see he was holding her cheeks, but she couldn’t actually feel his hands on her face

“Thorin,” Rosie managed to get out, but her tongue felt too large for her mouth, “Thorin,” She tried saying again, but his name stuck in her throat and balled up until hot tears streaked down her cheeks. Thorin’s brows furrowed and all Rosie could do in response was openly weep in front of him as she crumpled like paper to the floor, her wound visible to all.

“ _Oh Rosie_ ,” She heard Thorin say, and Rosie could hear him begin to cry before he even kneeled down next to her. This couldn’t be happening, this _couldn’t be happening_. All Rosie wanted, all she wanted was to save Thorin, but how could she have done that, when she couldn’t even save herself. As Rosie’s wound screamed, she did too, she cried, and she cried and she cried, because it hurt, God, _it hurt_.

“Rosie,” Thorin said as he held her, a sob escaping his tightly woven lips, but it was barely heard of the raw agony Rosie was experiencing right now, “Oh, Rosie Rosie,” He chanted softly as he felt his lungs clench. He was now sitting with Rosie’s coiled body in his arms, slowly rocking back and forth as her blood seeped over his hands…his clothes…him.

“My God,” Thorin heard Bilbo say from a meter in front of him, but Thorin couldn’t even begin to tear his eyes away from Rosie’s form. But it didn’t matter…none of it mattered. Winning the battle, reclaiming Erebor…surviving… _none of it_. He didn’t have Rosie.

“Is she…” Bilbo trailed off, his voice quivering as he looked at the ongoing scarlet puddle that surrounded the bodies of his two best friends. Thorin couldn’t respond. He couldn’t even bring himself to think the words and Rosie grabbed her side and gasped for air through her wrenching screams of pure pain, the only noise in complete and utter silence. Bilbo pushed a hand over his mouth as he turned away from the scene, not able to look without the feeling of throwing up, swelling from within. He turned around to find…no one, not a living creature was moving, not here, not on the battlefield, not anywhere. He shoved his other into the pit of his pocket and pushed down so hard the seams of his favourite trousers broke. The pain that he was feeling and the pain that he was witnessing was more than he could bear.

Pain soon became all Rosie knew. It rapidly consumed her body and soon, she wished for death. She wished for it to come and sweep her up in its arms and to just make it stop. But as the pain swelled her sobs subsided…she was going to die, for the second time in a few months, she was going to die. Rosie pushed down on the ice next to her damp cheek, her hand slipping as she attempted to roll over and face her friends, they saw her attempts and Bilbo collapsed on the floor, scooping up her shoulders and slowly manoeuvring her onto her back.

She lay there for a moment, simply drinking in the sight of two people she loved more than life itself as a dizziness caused her head to keep spinning and the sky to swirl into shapes that reminded her a Vincent Van Gough painting. It was a strange sensation, to feel energy pouring out of you like water, and for a few seconds Rosie thought she was home, sinking into her frothy mattress and snow-white pillowcases, tumbling down into a deep, deep sleep. But…she didn’t want to sleep.  _Oh God, I don’t want to die. Thorin…Thorin needs to know, he needs to know that I don’t want to die, and Bilbo and…Frankie and Cece…Oh God._

“Hi,” Was all Rosie could end up getting out, her voice so quiet she thought no one could possibly hear her. But of course, Thorin did, he always would.

“Hi,” He spluttered back, his eyes glassy and his cheeks soaked. He had a cut on his left cheek and all Rosie wanted to do in that moment, was to reach out and graze her fingers across it, to feel Thorin right there, warm and alive under her fingertips. But when she called upon her arms, she found that she couldn’t feel them anymore. The urge to cry grew stronger.

“I think I’m dying,” Rosie found herself saying to no one in particular. Thorin’s lips stretched across his cheeks in a grimace as he tried to not sob aloud.

“Yeah,” Thorin eventually managed to get out. Silence. Rosie dreamily looked up at the sky, eagles the size of clouds were currently swirling in a sky streaked with the warmest colours Rosie had ever seen. She watched them for a moment, she watched how they moved and how blessed she felt to even see this moment. A thought dawned on her that spilt out of her lips before she could stop it.

“I don’t want to die.”

Thorin tipped his head back, covering his eyes with a red-stained hand before bringing his head back down and covering his mouth, stifling his sobs. Bilbo once again looked away, not able to bear that the scene before him was real, this was happening, and he couldn’t change it. “Oh my God… _I don’t want to die_ ,” Rosie said again, her voice hoarse and broken. “I _don’t want to die…I don’t want to die_!” She chanted to herself as more hot tears managed to dribble out of her eyes and into her ears. How could it be possible for three bodies to share so much pain?

“ _Thorin_ ,” Rosie gasped desperately, forcing the king to stare deep into her eyes. They paused for a moment in, simply drinking up as much as they could of each other before the inevitable timer ran out.

“Thorin…you make me happy,” She said, shaking her head slightly as she smiled through her tears, “This place…makes me _so_ happy,” She sobbed. “The company…I love the company more than I thought I ever could. You…you taught me about courage, friendship and how to sing rude songs in Khudzul and, all that other stuff,” A flicker of a smile made its way onto her face. “You guys are my family and I love, I love you so much.

“Thorin…before you were, talking about responsibility. Thorin, look at me,” She said and Thorin’s quiet crying paused as he looked down on the face of a girl who was fighting so hard to simply stay alive for a little longer, “Thorin, you are not responsible for my death…okay?” Thorin’s eyes creased as he attempted to smile, “You too Bilbo,” Rosie glanced at the friendly hobbit who had been the one to teach her to knit but a few weeks ago, “No one is…well, I guess Azog is a little bit.” Rosie managed a smile, “But the two of you…not responsible! You hear me? I mean you can’t be! I’m already dead! She wanted to laugh, she wanted to cry, she wanted to feel so many emotions one more time before she stopped feeling altogether.

“Rosie…” Thorin began, but even in her last moments Rosie still managed to cut Thorin off.

“No Thorin it’s okay,” Rosie smiled at him, an honest and pure smile, “I’m not scared of dying, I mean…the second time has got to be easier than the first,” She paused, she wanted to hear Thorin laugh, she wanted him to call her ‘silly’ and a ‘stupid girl’ for wasting her final moments on making jokes. But he didn’t, he simply looked at her, taking everything about her in, whilst barely drawing a breath. Rosie continued.

“Tell Frankie and Cece…” Rosie felt a bubble of a sob squeeze in her throat so hard that she couldn’t continue, but she quickly regained what little composure she had left and carried on, “Tell them, I love them…and that they cannot possibly fathom how much I love them,” Rosie paused as she glanced at the sky where the birds were still swirling, “Actually…tell the whole company that…because it’s true, it’s really true,” Silence settled and the last of Rosie’s tears made their way to the ice.

“Now what?” Rosie looked from Thorin to Bilbo and back again. Rosie thought of middle earth. Rosie thought of home. Rosie thought of the friends she grew up with and the friends who had let her grow, and Rosie smiled.

“Now…I’m going to lie here. I’m going to watch the birds, watch how the dance in a sky that reminds me of the colour of the fruit bowl in Bilbo’s dining room, I’m going to watch, and I’m going to wait, till I too will be up there…but Thorin,”

“Yes, Rosanna Parker,” A smile quivered on Rosie’s lips.

“I thought I told you never to call me that again...Thorin, I hope you know, that the only life worth living…was the one I was going to have with you,” Thorin found that he couldn’t respond. He had nothing to say. He merely placed his hand inside of hers and touched his lips against her forehead and then tried to quieten his sobs as Rosie’s turned to face the heavens.

And Rosie looked up at the sky that reminded her of Bilbo’s fruit bowls. And she thought of everything she had, and she thought of everything she was grateful for, and she was happy.

 

Rosanna Parker died happy, and that’s what she would have wanted everyone to know. From her mother and her father and the small house they shared back on earth, to each and every member of the company and the mountain they shared in middle earth. She died in the comfort of the knowledge that she had much to live for, and therefore would be leaving a life well loved. And she thought this, as her body slowly slipped into a state of lifelessness, her head lolling limply onto Thorin’s lap, her shoulders falling still as her sobs were finally put to rest.

But, if you looked carefully, you could see that her eyes were still slightly creased at the corners and the remains of an honest smile could still be found on her rosy lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this at 2am whilst sobbing. Enjoy.


	51. Burned Out, Brighter Now

_White._

_Calm._

_Green._

_Leaf-shaped flecks of light._

_Blue._

_Is that the ocean?_

_Red._

_Pain._

* * *

Thorin sat alone in what remained of his bedroom. It was the first time he had been in it since the day Smaug attacked Erebor, a day where he thought he had hit the rock bottom of agony, and whilst that still may be true, these past few days of formed an entirely new scale of pain. All around him stood crumbling stone, that should have collapsed years ago had it not been for the brilliant minds of his forefathers. There were no windows in this room, there were no windows anywhere. The only light that greeted Thorin’s dull irises were those of passing lights that shimmered under the doorway. People wandering aimlessly throughout night and day, passing the morning king without ever realising it.

Thorin could feel the grief sitting in his lungs like a small bag of rice. But no matter its size, it weighed him down, dragging him to the limp, ghostly sheets of his bed, where every breath he managed to haul into his woeful lungs, felt like trying to inhale gritty rock. Had he laid there since the memorial service…when was that? Hours, days, weeks ago? It wasn’t that Thorin had lost track of time, it was that Thorin had found time to be in abundance.

His life opened to him, a new chapter, a fresh chapter, a chapter he had been waiting for since he first set up camp in the blue mountains. The chapter of rebuilding Erebor, bringing life once more to its unresponsive walls. How many nights had he laid, strewn in still sheets as his mind whirred rapidly? Thinking of the day he would leave to reclaim his homeland, thinking of defeating that dragon, thinking of sending out a word of the victory and spend a week at least celebrating in the warm and bright halls of Erebor.

He had so much time to do that, the rest of his life in fact and yet had no time to be with the three girls who remained the people who he was going to celebrate with first. Pour them each a glass of wine from the cellars that were fit for kings, call on everyone to look on their young and bright faces and reveal just how much they had helped the company on this journey. As Thorin thought of bright tables, full of the sweetest food they could get their hands on, nights full of laughter and dance as the told strangers the story that they just embarked on, he was snapped right back to his little, black room. Laughter remained a million miles away.

* * *

After Rosie fell limp in his arms, Thorin and Bilbo alike broke down. In that agonising moment that felt timeless, Thorin gripped tightly on the motionless body, coughing out angry, raw sobs that reverberated right back to him, echoing in his ears as small and feeble. The battle had finished by the time Thorin’s tears ran out, and at this moment he looked up to find the entire company paused at the side of the ice, drinking in the situation. As it turns out, Bilbo had managed to stumble to his feet, desperate to get away from what had just happened, and ended up rounding the company up, not able to tell them what he had just witnessed, only able to drag them to the body.

Slowly, they made their way to Thorin, who sat dazed, unable to speak. Some cried, sobbing in the silence, and some simply stood, confused. But there were two boys who crumpled right next to Thorin, peering down at the blank gaze of Rosie through blurred vision. Silence.

“Thorin,” Fili somehow managed to cough out, the word getting stuck in his throat. Fili took a shaky breath, “Frankie and Cece…have also…” Fili tried getting out, trying so hard to appear strong in front of his uncle, even in a moment like Fili felt as though he needed to remain strong to impress his uncle. Thorin looked at his eldest nephew, then at his youngest. To be honest, I could not even begin to write down what Thorin felt were in this moment. I don’t think there ever will be words for it.

Thorin didn’t say anything as he slowly manoeuvred Rosie’s head out of his lap, laying her body tenderly on the cool ice. He then proceeded to remove his top layer of armour, letting it clink to the floor without a second thought, he then removed his jacket with the fur lining, a memory of Rosie laughing as she stroked it saying it reminded her of the cat on her street. Thorin folded it and placed it delicately behind her head before turning to his nephews. Everyone held their breath.

“Come here,” He eventually got out from his swollen throat, pulling his sister-sons into a tight embrace. And then all three crumpled into one another, and they shared their pain, as they openly wept in front of one another, something that had hadn’t happened since Fili and Kili’s father, and Thorin’s best friend, had passed away.

“Let us kneel,” Came the unsteady voice of Balin, “Let us kneel and bow our heads,” The company followed in suite, “For the three girls who…” Balin never finished his sentence. It was left, hanging in the air, as each and every member of the company could thank the three girls in their own way, for their own deeds. Because Rosanna, Francesca and Cecilia meant something different to everyone, but at the end of the day, the same love was there in every heart, and it would remain there, for as long as they shall live.

The company then had to carry the three bodies of the girls back to Erebor. They made their way through Dale. The king wanting to see the damage that he was responsible for. As they made their way through, they witnessed women, men, dwarves and elves alike crouching over bodies, sobbing for the loss of loved ones. A sight that Thorin had seen far too many times.

Standing on top of a small stone ledge, not so far away. Stood an elf prince, his father, and his best friend, all of them bathed in silence as they watched the dwarves move in agony towards their home.

“Those girls didn’t deserve to die,” Legolas whispered. He tentatively watched the forms weave their way in and out of buildings, he zoned in on the face of Thorin, it’s horrible to witness someone in agony like that. Legolas turned away from the scene to the king on his left, curious as to how his father was reacting to the sight of the three girls.

“No,” Thranduil said softly, his eyes fixed on Thorin’s, one of the few people in that moment who understood what he was going through, “I don’t believe they did.” Legolas glanced at his father and then at the ginger-haired elf who was not so discreetly wiping away glistening tears from her cheeks, her eyes fixed on the face of a certain brown-haired prince, whose face remained emotionless and hollow. Legolas turned back to his father.

“I shall stay for the memorial,” He said, “Then I’m leaving,” This grabbed the attention of the two elves as he stepped away from the ledge.

“Where to?” He heard the voice of an elf who could never love him back.

“I don’t know,” He responded softly. Legolas was hurting, he understood that, but he didn’t understand what he needed to do to make the hurt not hurt so much.

“I do,” Thranduil's soft voice echoed out, “Elrond I suppose will also stay for the memorial, before heading back to Rivendell…you should go with him,” Thranduil now pushed his blade back into his belt, turning away from the heavy scene. Legolas stared at Thranduil in surprise.

“Father…” He glanced at Tauriel who looked just as bemused as he felt, “Why?” Thranduil thought for a moment before answering.

“There’s a young ranger amongst the Dunedin, you should meet him. His father, Arathon, was a good man, his son might grow to be a greater one.” Thranduil said. Legolas stared at his father in thought before turning away. “Legolas, you may have lost a friend today, but you

“Father I don’t replace any of them in my life,” Legolas said wisely, “I will go with Elrond to Rivendell, I shall meet this ranger, and he may become a friend of mine, but he won’t replace those three girls, in my life.” Thranduil smiled down at his son, a rare occurrence.

“Come,” Thranduil said after a moment, “We need to be there for Thorin, and his company,”

* * *

_Light?_

_Could it be?_

_It hurts so much._

_Where am I?_

_Where am I going?_

* * *

The three girls were laid out on slabs of stone that were fit for royalty. All those who knew the girls, who spoke with the girls, or who felt like they needed to say goodbye, visited the vast room they were placed in. Thorin stood with the company, never leaving the sides of the three girls, none processed this, none knew if they ever could.

Almost everyone the girls had ever breathed near, wanted to come say goodbye, it appeared that the girls had gained quite a reputation for themselves and so many strange faces passed through the room, all kind, all caring. In the midst of the crowds, Thorin saw many familiar faces.

At some point Gandalf entered the room, wandering around the bodies of the three girls before residing beside the company, deep in thought, deep in sorrow. Elrond walked in alone and stood in silence, his head bowed, his hands folded as he said his final goodbyes. Beorn’s large frame shuffled into the room next, and he fumbled his way around the stone, leaving behind a green rose for Frankie, blue for Rosie and white for Cece. And then by the time the moon was high in the sky, in walked Tauriel, Legolas and Thranduil. Legolas stood at each of the respected bodies, reminiscing on every moment they shared, making his way down the line till he got to Rosie, where he paused a little longer than the rest.

“ _You win_ ,” Legolas muttered under his breath, a glimmer of a smile on his face as he thought of the game they had played on the night Laketown burned. Then, slowly, as if not to disrupt the calm that had settled on the room, he removed an arrow, it was the arrow he had carved on the rocky shores, where he sat with Rosie, talking about this and that. Placing it down, he stood a little taller, he looked a little a higher, and then whispered “ _Im shall see cin in another galad, nin mellon_ (I shall see you in another light, my friend),”

Tauriel stood, tears flowing freely as she gazed upon the three female warriors who had thought of her as a friend. She reached into her hair, fumbling for the clasp on the bead which held her braids together, pulling at it, it gave way, slipping into her hand as her hair fell freely around her face. Looking down she saw the bead shimmering back at her, she had bought it around the time the company had ended up in the Mirkwood jail, it was all she had to remind her of those time. Tauriel moved forward and carefully, she crushed the bead on the stone supporting Frankie until it was in three small pieces, she then proceeded to distribute these among the three girls before wiping her tears and leaving.

Hundreds of people had passed through the room which encased their bodies and all of them passed the company, some even expressing their apologies for such an act to happen. And then when no more people came, one by one, the company dispersed, heading to halls and homes where they may be some aid of assistance to the injured who couldn’t sleep, until there was once more, only Thorin. But that didn’t last for long.

It was around the middle of the night, and everyone, dwarves, elves, humans and others, had found a comfortable place to sleep and rest their aching bodies when a small family crept into the lifeless, cold room. Thorin turned his head to meet the agonised face of Bard the Bowman with his two daughters and son. They hung in the doorway for a moment, drinking in the sight of the lifeless bodies, prickled with bruises, cuts and more. It was only when Tilda, Bard’s youngest, moved forward to stand next to Frankie did the family even come across as animate. Sigrid and Bain went after their younger sister whilst Bard hung back, slowly making his way to the sitting form of Thorin, and fumbled down next to him. They sat in silence for a while, watching as the children wove in and out of the tables, silent and deep in thought.

“Did you love her?” Bard asked quietly, so the children couldn’t hear, “Rosie, I mean,” Bard added, fully aware that he was delving into a touchy topic. Thorin didn’t respond for a moment, thinking about the question as his eyes flickered over the flaccid body.

“I don’t know,” Thorin eventually said, his voice worn, he then almost snorted as he said, “I almost want to say no…to make it easier,” Thorin then looked at Bard, and Bard didn’t know if Thorin was going to begin crying or laughing.

“But…” Bard said and Thorin’s face turned to stone.

“But…there’s no running from the truth. Yes, I love her,” Thorin said, his eyes turning glassy as a thought dawned on him, “And she’ll never hear me say it,” Bard furrowed his brows, the conversation weighed heavy, he had to pick the path of conversation wisely.

“Can I give you some advice?” Bard finally said, “As someone who has loved and lost,” There was a pause before Thorin managed a nod. Bard turned to his children, watching how Ingrid was now brushing the hair out of each of their faces and was braiding multiple plats into each of their hair, soon Sigrid joined in and eventually Bain. “You see those kids. They were all I had, for a long time. Just me, my three beautiful babies, and my thoughts…and that was it. Unfortunately, that’s a dangerous combination,” A beat, “I know right now you may feel like you’ve lost everything, but believe me…there is so much to live for,” Thorin gave Bard a confused look, his eyebrows knitted together. Bard in seeing this shuffled in his seat and took a deep breath, a chilling memory playing in his head.

“When my wife died…I wanted to crawl into that grave with her,” Bard’s voice was barely a whisper, clearly, he didn’t want his children to hear this conversation. “I couldn’t stand waking up every day in a world where she simply wasn’t there, and for so long, the pain…the pain that you’re feeling right now, felt like it would never go away.”

“And…” Thorin said when Bard seemed to drift away slightly.

“And it does, well, it gets easier,” Bard summed up, “For some people, it’s weeks, months, for me, it was three years till I could hear her name and not leave the room. I mean, pain like this never truly goes away, it sticks on your heart like treacle, but that doesn’t mean you’ll never be happy again, or you’ll never wake up, feel the sun on your face and be happy to simply be alive. Right now, in this moment, I don’t think there’s any advice I can give you, or anyone can give you for that matter, that will make the hurt your feeling go away. All you can do right now is trust me when I say that it’s worth holding on.”

Thorin stared at his hands, struggling to find the words to thank Bard, someone who he thought he could never relate to when they were interrupted.

“Papa,” Came the voice of Sigrid who now stood in the doorway, soft tears running down her pale cheeks, “We’re ready to go,” Bard smiled at his children before turning back to Thorin.

“If you need anything Thorin, ask,” Bard smiled kindly at him before standing and joining his children, and just like everyone else, he managed to leave the room. Once Thorin was alone, the dark shroud began to settle once more, and Thorin sunk deep in his thoughts. The room was deadly silent, and to be honest, it would have probably been easier on Thorin if he had just left. Went out to the halls to see all those that were injured and thank them for what they had done. Search out the families who were now one or more members less, and apologise for their loss, accept the responsibility and count the number of bodies that now would lay on his conscious. Something he had done before, and he should be able to do again.

But as he stared at these three girls, their small bodies only visible by the remains of a flickering candle. Thorin was reminded of the first time he saw them, how desperate they were to go on this adventure, to help a group of people they didn’t truly know, just because. They were young and brave and strong, and they deserved so much better.

This is where Thorin started to lose track of time. How long did he sit there on the cool stone of a home that didn’t feel like home? How many hours were spent thinking of every moment he had shared with these girls, and the moments he was now coming to face without them? How long did he think of Cece and her wise words, hidden ferocity and excitement of simply seeing the simplest of scenes? What about Frankie, and her trademark sass, her natural instinct to look out for her friends and always put herself last? And then, Rosie…

Somehow at some point, Thorin had made out of the room, through empty hallways and into his bedroom, the world was asleep, and it seemed like he was the only thing moving in the moonlight. He peeled off what clothes remained and curled up in the sheets that were coated with a layer of dust. And he lay there, he cried, he thought, and he hurt, and in this moment, it felt as if it was never going to be okay again.

* * *

_Is that…is that light? Whatever it is, it feels like it’s digging directly into my skull through my eyes. No, wait…that can’t be light, it’s beating…it’s beating in time with my heart._

_My heart is beating._

_I can feel it. It’s in my chest, I can feel my chest. Oh, my God…_

Rosie felt something tap against her cheek, something warm and smooth. Rosie didn’t respond. It tapped again against her cheek, this time a bit more vigorously. Rosie still didn’t respond, confused and curious, _what the hell was happening_? This caused whatever it was to slap harshly against her cheek and in the distance, Rosie heard the words ‘wakey wakey’. Slowly, Rosie peeled her eyes open. White. Everywhere, blinding, pale, white. She shut her eyes again.

“Oh, come on,” The voice was closer, “It’s not that bad…bear through the pain,” That voice, that voice was so familiar, yet so unfamiliar. _What is happening_? Rosie’s mind screamed for about the tenth time in the space of three seconds, and begrudgingly Rosie realised that the only way to answer that question was to open her eyes or ask.

“What’s happening?” Rosie said after a few moments of silence, her eyes still tightly squeezed shut. She actually jumped slightly at the sound of her own voice, it was so close and loud, God, _what was happening_!

“Open your eyes and see,” The voice said softly. Rosie had no idea who was talking, but she already didn’t like them. Gradually, Rosie stopped scrunching up her nose and let her face muscles relax, and then she flicked her eyes wide open before shutting them again, unable to bear the wishy-washy white landscape that seemed to present itself. “Carefully!” The voice warned, “Do it bit by bit.” And so, Rosie did. She picked and peeled at her eyes, blinking rapidly and ignoring the waterfall of wetness that spilt from her lashes until she could see with little difficulty. But it was only when Rosie’s eyes were open did she realise that there was nothing to see.

“Come on, let’s get you up,” The voice said, and the next thing Rosie knew were two strong yet small hands guiding her slowly to her feet.

“Oh my God,” Rosie hissed. It felt as though her muscles hadn’t been used in ages, like everything about her body was strangely unused and unfamiliar, and I’m not even going to begin on the pain that was radiating from her gut.

“It’s okay, it’s okay…look you gotta get over the pain pretty quick, we have limited time to talk,” The voice said from her left-hand side, gripping onto her shoulder and letting Rosie sink all her weight onto it.

“Who…who are you?” Rosie managed to get out as she pushed her cool fingertips on her throbbing forehead, her eyes still batting out watery tears.

“Look and see,” The voice said and so Rosie did, and this is where it gets weird. There standing before Rosie, wearing ripped boyfriend jeans, an oversized black sweater, and vans was herself. It was Rosie from the day of the crash.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to get across in this chapter that Bard might have been suicidal at some point but I don’t think it worked. Happy New Year <3


	52. 2.0

“ _What the fu_ -” Was all Rosie managed to get out before the dizziness of her head took over and she was doubled over, emptying the contents of her vacant stomach onto…nothing.

“I know,” Rosie 2.0 said, reaching out and rubbing Rosie’s back, Rosie pushed her away viciously.

“Don’t touch me,” Rosie said. The words coming out angrier than she expected them to.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Rosie 2.0 said, holding her hands in the air, “I’m not going to hurt you,”

“I think you hurting me is the last of my fucking worries right now!” Rosie cried in response, clearly getting slightly hysterical.

“I know! I get it! This is kinda weird!” Rosie 2.0 continued.

“ _Kinda-fucking-weird_?” Rosie said, turning away from the sight of herself. Unable to comprehend just what exactly was happening. Turning away from herself she took in the view of…nothing, only a white floor going on and on and on. Rosie felt the urge to throw up again. She turned back to herself, “Where am I?”

“We’re nowhere…and I think it’s ‘Where are we?’” Rosie 2.0 sassily responded.

“Well, considering I’m me and you…are also me and every single person that’s…here…right now, is me, I think my grammar was correct,” Rosie rambled, spinning around now, searching for any distinct signs of _anything_.

“Okay, you need to calm down,” Rosie 2.0 sighed.

“Calm down?” Rosie gasped, turning back to herself, “I’m talking to myself! _Literally_!”

“Okay! I get it, it’s weird, I know!” Rosie 2.0 said as she grabbed the shoulders of Rosie, forcing her to look at her, “But you’re here for a reason, I’m here for a reason, I’m here to tell you things…give you answers!” Rosie 2.0 then let go of her shoulders causing Rosie to slightly stumble backwards.

“Answers?” Rosie asked, completely out of it.

“Don’t you have any questions? Like maybe…how you ended up in middle earth?” Rosie 2.0 asked.

“Yeah…but…”

“But what?

“So, what? I just ask you and you’ll tell me…like a weird mirror google?” Rosie 2.0 stared at her incredulously before giving in.

“Sure…you can call it whatever you want. Now, ask a question,” There was a pause and Rosie furrowed her eyebrows, still not quite sure what the hell was happening.

“Okay,” She finally said, “What happened during the car crash?”

“Ah, good one,” Rosie 2.0 swung back on her heels, clearly excited, “But to answer this question I think we need to go back,”

“Go back?” Rosie wondered aloud. Rosie 2.0 smiled coyly.

“Of course,” And then she brought her hands up to her face and clicked.

What happened next can’t really be described, because it was over before Rosie could take anything in. It was a blip in time, a jumpstart, a glitch where Rosie’s entire body felt like it was being pulled apart and put back together at the same time. But when the sensation stopped after a few milliseconds, the entire world around them had changed.

“ _What the fuck_!” Rosie gasped for probably the second time in the space of five minutes.

“Ah, here we are,” Rosie 2.0 sighed looking around, “Take a deep breath, soak it all in…it’s England’s nature at its finest,”

Rosie looked away from the image of herself and turned to the one around her. It was England, more specifically, Rosie was standing at the side of the road where she had crashed that crappy Saturn.

“Oh my God,” Rosie muttered under her breath as she looked around, was she going to throw up _again_?

“You know you say that too much,” Rosie 2.0 noted from where she was kicking rocks down the hill.

“Well then so do you,” Rosie retorted, still looking at the world around her, unable to comprehend that she was _home_.

“Touché,” Rosie heard herself say, but she was fixated on a point across the road that they were standing on the edge of.

“That forest, that’s exactly the place where I crashed the car,” Rosie pointed across the road. “It’s funny, it doesn’t look damaged or anything,”

“That’s because the crash hasn’t happened yet,” Rosie 2.0 once again smiled coyly, before Rosie could respond Rosie 2.0 got there first, “Wait,” She placed a finger to her ear, “Here you come,”

Rosie didn’t hear anything at first, just the sound of the wind rustling leaves and some birds calling out far behind her. But soon, almost like an echo, the sounds of a car, music and girls singing mingled somewhere to Rosie’s left and with wide eyes she watched as a small red blur made its way through winding roads.

“Why did you bring me here?” Rosie asked numbly, all feeling drained from her body as she realised what she was about to witness.

“To watch, to see,” Rosie 2.0 responded calmly, “Tell me what happens,”

“What?”

“Tell me what happens next, why did the car crash?” Rosie 2.0 continued, steadily watching the red blur as it grew larger.

“Um…a car,” Rosie said anxiously, looking anywhere but the oncoming road, “A car was driving on the wrong side of the road and I didn’t see it until the last possible second, we were going over a hill and I swerved and drove us into those trees, I’m sorry I’m not very comfortable seeing this,” The words tumbling out of her mouth.

“It’s okay, you’ll be fine…well” Rosie 2.0 smiled at her, a sweet genuine smile, “Let’s watch,” She said, and Rosie couldn’t help but turn and look as the car grew closer and closer. She could hear her own voice jumbled with Frankie and Cece’s as they horrendously sung along to Dancing Queen. Just three carafe’s teens living out the last days of their teenagerhood.

“I don’t like this,” Rosie mumbled under her breath, they were seconds away. 20 seconds, 15 seconds, 10, 5. “I can’t watch this!” Rosie said rather loudly, the car was only a few meters away. Frantically Rosie flung her hands over her eyes just as the screech of car tires and the smell of gas filled the air, a click and then…silence.

“Rosie, you can open your eyes,” Came the voice of herself.

“I don’t wanna,”

“Oh, just do it.” Slowly Rosie slipped her hands away from her face and shakily opened her eyes to see the damage.

“What the hell?” The crappy, red Saturn that Rosie had been driving many months ago was frozen, mid-air as it flew through the trees, ready to start the downhill tumble to death. Rosie couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Grass had been kicked up by the coarse, rubber tires and now sat inches off the ground, the trees now stood still, no wind to wisp through the leafy jungle ahead of her. Rosie then watched as Rosie 2.0 moved forward, walking casually across the road and peering into the car before motioning to Rosie.

“Come over here, take a look, your faces are pretty funny,” Rosie 2.0 smiled, Rosie slowly crept forward.

“What the fuck just happened?” Rosie wondered aloud. So many God damn questions buzzed around her brain.

“Isn’t it obvious, I stopped time,” Rosie 2.0 casually said whilst brushing dust off her jeans.

“Who the fuck are you?”

“I’m a part of your mind, you do know this isn’t real right, it’s all in your head?” A pause.

“ _Well I do now_!” Rosie spluttered, it seems like she was never going to get a straight answer from herself.

“Look,” Rosie 2.0, turning serious, “Notice anything?” Rosie carefully picked her way over the road, taking in every little detail. Rosie 2.0 clearly wanted to play a game, and if that was how Rosie was going to get answers, then she was willing to play along. Eventually, she got the car and was able to peek inside. There sitting inside was herself, Frankie and Cece, and to be honest their faces were pretty comical. Open mouths, wild hair and a look of confusion and fear, Rosie would have expected to see a similar sight on a rollercoaster. They all looked so familiar yet so unaware, it’s strange to think at this point in time her world was all she knew. Rosie moved to the front of the car and peered into the forest. There was undeniably a downhill fall full of rocks, trees and random shrubbery that grew wildly and out of place.

“Am I supposed to notice something different?” Rosie wondered aloud as she made her way back to Rosie 2.0, Rosie 2.0 furrowed her brows and leant against the car, arms folded.

“Rosie…why did you crash?” She asked.

“Because I swerved?” Rosie guessed, not quite sure where this was going.

“And, why did you swerve?” Rosie stared at herself in confusion.

“Because of the car that was going to run us over,” Rosie said as if it were obvious, Rosie 2.0 gave her a knowing look.

“What car?” Rosie stared at herself in disbelief for a few silent seconds before quickly pacing back into the centre of the road. Rosie looked left, right and left again, she peered over the side of the road, she ran frantically back into the trees, desperate for it any sight of the black vehicle with lights like a bull’s eyes. But the more and more she searched the heavier the sinking feeling in her chest got. Eventually, Rosie crumpled in the middle of the road, coated in confusion and sorrow as it became obvious. There was no car. She had seen a figment of her imagination on that day, it was her fault for everything that ensued. A form silently sat down next to her.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Rosie 2.0 said after a moment, smiling sweetly.

“Okay? I crashed a car, killing myself and my best friends for no reason…it’s not fucking okay,” Rosie muttered sadly as she picked at her brown boot.

“Rosie…I hate to break it to you, but you’ve never died,” Rosie 2.0 said whilst stretching out on the warm road, basking in the sun like a cat.

“Excuse me?” Rosie muttered, too exhausted to even begin to react to that statement.

“Well, when you crashed the Saturn, you didn’t die, you went through a portal and crashed in middle earth, and after the battle…you didn’t die,”

“But I got stabbed,”

“Yeah, not bad enough to kill you. You are unconscious right now, well your more than unconscious, but that doesn’t matter. The story is ending and that means I get to come out and play,”

“Play?”

“Tell you everything you don’t understand,”

“But what about my body?”

“It’s still in middle earth,” A pause.

“Thorin?” Rosie’s voice was frail, the word was a scrawny skeleton of the question she wanted to ask.

“Thinks you’re dead. Everyone does,” Rosie 2.0 said softly, the playfulness gone from her voice, “Funny that, everyone’s so grieved by the idea of you, Cece and Frankie dying that they don’t actually check your bodies,”

“Frankie and Cece!”

“Oh yeah, they also ‘died’” She made quotation marks with her fingers, “And they’re experiencing exactly what you’re experiencing right now, make no mess of it,”

“This is so weird.” Rosie hummed, burying her face in her knees. Rosie 2.0 stared at her for a few moments.

“Don’t you want to ask me about the portal?”

“What?” Rosie’s voice came from her thighs.

“The portal! Oh, come on! It’s the best bit!” Rosie 2.0 chuckled. Rosie looked up at herself.

“Can you not give me five minutes to process this information?” Rosie said quietly.

“I would…but like I said before, we have limited time before you wake up,” Rosie 2.0 said cheerily, jumping up and dusting down her jeans. Rosie, now given up on all her sense of sanity, sighed heartily before she joined Rosie 2.0 in standing. “Okay fine. What about the portal?”

“Excellent question, but to answer it we need to look at the bigger picture and zoom out,” Rosie 2.0 smiled enthusiastically.

“Zoom out?” Rosie asked, knowing that she wouldn’t like the answer.

“A lot,” Rosie 2.0 alleged before raising her hands by her face and clicking once more. After another strange sensation washing over Rosie’s body, she just so happened to find herself floating in outer space.

_This is more than I can handle_. Rosie felt her body floating, a weightless mas of muscle somewhere unknown, and a strange peace formed in her lungs. Opening her mouth, she was about to ask herself how they were breathing if they were in outer space when she remembered that this was all happening in her mind, anything was possible.

Twisting around, Rosie gazed out on the view in front of her and couldn’t help but feel the breath leave her body for a few seconds too long. A sea of black, blue, purple and pink washed in random patterns all the way across the scene. A dimly lit stage where thousands upon thousands of glistening lights prickled to the surface, shadows forming planets and stars of all shapes and sizes. An entire universe had just opened to Rosie, and she didn’t quite know how to react.

“Now you may have some questions, but for now just watch,” Rosie heard herself say, and looking to her left she could see herself floating calmly, hands in pockets as she stared at a soft blue circle the size of tennis ball. A pause.

“Is that earth?” Rosie settled on asking through rapid breaths, sticking to logical questions rather than the usual who, what, when, where, why and _how_ situation.

“Yes,” Rosie 2.0 said softly, her eyes never leaving it, “Now watch carefully, this is the exact moment in time where you crashed the car and ended up in middle earth. Did I mention that you should make sure you’re watching because this is one of the coolest things you're ever going to see in your life.”

So, as Rosie floated aimlessly in space she fixated on the small blue dot for a few prolonged seconds, unsure if what she was supposed to be so excited about had already happened when it happened. Surrounding that small blue dot, was an even larger circle. It glowed a bright blue-white light which shook ever so slightly, it was positioned perfectly, that earth was in the centre of the circle.

“What…” Rosie breathed, her question disappeared in her breath but she was sure it would get answered later. Just when Rosie thought all was done, the circle began rapidly shaking, trembling under the pressure of an immense, invisible force. _What the hell_? It didn’t stop there, at the corner of Rosie’s eye something blazed bright and turning her head, she watched as another blue-white circle came into view, flying past planets, stars and all things wonderous, heading straight for our little earth. And as Rosie squinted her eyes and zoned in on the fast-moving ball she noticed that in its centre sat another blue ball.

Rosie watched, speechless, as these two beautiful circles blazed closer together, their lights burning brighter and each of the circles appearing more whole the closer they got until the inevitable moment occurred, the moment where the two circles collided. For two vicious looking balls the moment they met was unusually still and silent, a pause the length of a heavy breath occurred where everything remained motionless and then everything seemed to happen all at once. Earth remained still, not moving from its original place, but the new circle, the new planet or _whatever_ , was flown right back along its path so fast that Rosie was glad she didn’t blink or else she would have missed it.

On her side she felt Rosie 2.0 bracing herself, clenching her body into a smaller form and balling up. Rosie was just about to ask why when it hit her, some sort of sonic wave washed right through Rosie’s body, it shuddered each and every one of her bones, rattling her teeth in her skull. The wind was knocked out of her lungs and she felt herself being thrown haphazardly through space, spinning rapidly away from herself. A silence fell just ask quickly as the sonic wave had passed and Rosie found that she had nothing to say, but Rosie 2.0 sure did.

“Wasn’t that amazing,”

“I’m definitely going to throw up,” Rosie simply responded. And she did, a lot. The noise of Rosie’s wrenching filled the air as she emptied her guts out into space, where they formed into small bubbles and floated away to somewhere unknown.

“Okay, that’s too much for me, let’s go back,” Rosie 2.0 quickly decided, and a click filled the air and soon they were standing once more on earth. Quickly Rosie peeked around, one hand on her unsettled stomach. She was getting more and more used to the dramatic scenery changes. What presented itself was the image of a place Rosie hadn’t seen before, scratch that, somewhere Rosie hadn’t seen for a long time.

“Oh my…is this…” She trailed off, unable to move her feet or look around, she was frozen to the spot, consumed by nostalgic thoughts and memories. They were standing in a wheat field, where the grass came up to their chests and a sunny blue sky stretched as far as the eye could see. Looking around you could see that the field rolled on and on, melting into other fields which disappeared into the horizon, up and down they went, dipping and diving like a sun-kissed rollercoaster.

“It sure it,” Rosie 2.0 responded in her best American accent, which was pretty terrible to be perfectly honest. They were standing in the wheat field that was a short car journey away from Cece’s house. Her, Frankie, Cece and their group of friends would spend their weekends here, camping out, sneaking out beer and any other alcoholic beverages they could manage to get their hands on without their parents noticing. Weekends full of long-running inside jokes and the first alcohol tinted glasses Rosie had ever worn.

Rosie had had her first kiss in these fields. With a boy named Will, who would go on to become Rosie’s first proper boyfriend and love, it was on his 15th birthday and he tasted of strong orange cordial juice spiked with vodka and rich chocolate cake.

A sad smile was painted on Rosie’s face as a million memories washed over her, memories of rolling down the hill and ruining a patch of harvest on a night where she had too many beers, basking in what remained of the sun on late summer evenings, shorts that were too short and broken flip-flops, her friend Sam playing on a guitar that had five strings whilst singing old show tunes and classics from the 80’s. To be honest it was always a surprise that the farmer who lived there didn’t get a restraining order for the group. All of that seemed like an entirely different life. The fact that there was a time where her main worry was if she could run away from the farmer whilst buzzed and barefoot made her heart squeeze.

“Sit with me,” Rosie 2.0 smiled softly at herself. Rosie looked down at an image of herself sitting in tall strands of wheat, a person dressed from a universe ago, with the same innocence at heart, and she couldn’t help but think of how much she wanted to go back. There would always be a part of her that wanted to go back, she couldn’t help that. Ignorance was and always will be, bliss.

Rosie had become so absorbed with nostalgic feels that she completely forgot about the extravaganza she had just witnessed in outer space. “I’m guessing you have questions,” Rosie 2.0 smiled, picking at her shoelaces.

“What…Oh…yeah.” Rosie realised, instantly called back to reality. A beat. “To be honest, I have so many questions that it may just be easier for everyone involved if you just tell me what just happened.” Rosie 2.0 smiled and nodded.

“Well, what you just saw up there, the big blue circles meeting and then exploding apart, were two universes colliding,” Rossie 2.0 said casually, Rosie held her tongue, “The first universe you saw was, obviously, this one,” Rosie 2.0 held out her arms, “The second one that kind of flew in, was middle earth,”

“Okay…” Rosie dragged out, her eyebrows knitted together in thought.

“This didn’t just happen because they felt like playing conkers, no. These two universes were drawn to each other, like opposite magnets. Something that belonged in middle earth had ended up on earth and that was the result.”

“How did the thing that belonged on middle earth get on normal earth in the first place?”

“Well just like that, in the past, around 18 years ago, these two universes collided on pure accident and several items from middle earth landed on earth. And, I mean it’s obvious, but you, Frankie and Cece are three of those items,”

“So…we were born on middle earth?” Rosie wondered aloud.

“No, no, no…crap, you’re getting the wrong idea. When these two universes meet they open a portal, a gateway towards each other, the times these portals are open can vary from a few seconds to a few years. 18 years ago, a portal was opened for 343 days, during this time, several dwarves set out on a mission on earth where they dispersed several items across the globe.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re telling me that I was the something from middle earth that ended up on earth,”

“No, something from middle earth was placed inside of you,” Rosie 2.0 said. A beat.

“I don’t get this,” Rosie spluttered out, her head whirring in circles of information.

“It’s okay if you don’t get this now, you’ll have plenty of time when you wake up to think it through, right now I’ve just got to tell you what you need to know,” Another pause.

“Let me get this straight. Eighteen years ago, several dwarves landed on earth through a portal that was caused by two universes colliding to place _something_ from middle earth inside me, Frankie and Cece. It then took eighteen years for these universes to collide again and during this second collision I crashed my car through the portal because I imagined a car, this then led me to return, whatever it is that’s inside me, to middle earth.” A pause.

“Yes,” Rosie 2.0 replied, “I mean it’s not that confusing when you hear it a few times,” Rosie couldn’t believe this.

“But that raises so many more questions,” Rosie sighed, pulling her fingers down her face.

“Yeah…but you’ve got to answer those on your own,” Rosie 2.0 sighed softly.

“How?” Rosie asked incredulously.

“Rosie, you’re going to wake up from this unconscious state soon in middle earth. Middle earth contains books, scrolls and stories. Sure, some of them are written in different languages, but hey, learn those languages. You’ll find the answers, you just need to look for them,” Rosie 2.0 spoke wisely.

“But where do I look?” Rosie asked tiredly.

“Well, Erebor’s library would be a good place to start,” She smiled, and Rosie couldn’t help but crack a smile herself. A comfortable silence settled on the two as they each dissolved into their own spinning thoughts.

“I’ve just thought of something,” Rosie said, sitting up a little taller, “These portals, it that why humans on earth, know about middle earth, because at some point in time these universes met.”

“Yeah…nice thinking Rosie,” Rosie 2.0 smiled at her, “It’s nice to know, isn’t it? That some of your favourite ‘stories’ could actually be real.”

“Yeah,” Rosie breathed happily. “I really like being here,” Rosie spoke up after a while, filling the silence as she plucked a strand of wheat, “Thanks…for bringing me here,”

“I brought you back to America for a reason,” Rosie 2.0 spoke up whilst digging her fingers deep into the warm soil.

“A reason?” Rosie 2.0 simply looked up from the soil and gave her a stare that almost said, ‘ _You won’t find out that easy_ ’. So, Rosie simply turned and looked up at the foamy clouds which powdered across the sky for as far as she could see.

“There’s still so much you need to learn about yourself, middle earth,” Rosie 2.0 answered.

“What do you mean?”

“Middle earth…is magical, in ways you cannot possibly begin to understand,”

“Wait, how do you know this and I don’t…who are you?”

“Like I said I’m a part of your mind that has always known what’s going on, the dwarves implanted me when they implanted the…shit, aha, I’m almost told you,”

“They implanted you in me?”

“Yeah, because, well…one day you were going to have to know the truth.

“Woah…” Rosie paused staring at the familiar stranger, “This is fucking weird,”

“Yeah, It’s funny, I’m the part of you that imagined up that car that caused you to crash,”

“Really?”

“Yeah, it’s fucking weird, but it’s also fucking awesome,”

“Yeah,” Rosie found herself chuckling under her breath. They sat there, the tall grass billowing around them, the wind on their face, the sun dribbling like treacle of their bare skin, and Rosie felt a peace settle within her. Questions had been answered, and sure, more questions arose, but it seemed like these worlds of mass and mayhem were beginning to make just a bit more sense. “It’s funny,” Rosie thought aloud, “I thought my story was ending, I thought at the end of the battle, it would just be over,” Rosie 2.0 cracked a smile.

“Ending? Rosie, _your_ story hasn’t even started yet,” Rose 2.0 chuckled.

“I like that,” Rosie smiled, falling back into the grass, allowing for a few brief seconds to soak up the sun, to feel the comfort of home, and to just relax.

“Oh crap,” Rose 2.0 spoke up suddenly causing Rosie to jump, “Sorry, it’s just that I forgot there’s another thing you need to know,”

“What,” Rosie chuckled.

“Earth and middle earth are going to collide again, soon actually, sooner than you may think,”

“What…like in 7 years?” Rosie asked.

“I can’t answer that question because…to be perfectly honest with you, I don’t know,” Rosie 2.0 sighed, folding her arms across her knees.

“Oh,” Was all Rosie could say in response.

“Yeah…oh,” Rosie 2.0 replied. They sat like that for a while before Rose 2.0 sprang to her feet, once more dusting down her pants, “Come on, it’s time for you to leave,”

“Leave?” Rosie asked, jumping to her feet alongside herself.

“Yes, of course,” Rosie 2.0 smiled happily.

“Where to?”

“You’re waking up silly!”

“Really, because I…don’t feel…” Rosie said happily, but before she could even finish her sentence, the sight of her own eyes staring back at her became washed out, blurring into colours of black, white, beige and blue. The world seemed to collapse in on itself as it melted away, washing to the back of her eyeballs and into her skull. And a part of her imagined the smug look on her own face.

Rosie allowed the feeling to wash over her, pain still radiating from her side as she thought. She was going to go back to middle earth, she was going to wake up and see Thorin and Bilbo, Kili and Fili, and of course Ori and his sweetheart. She was going to get a chance to live a life in middle earth, and to get some answers, but that could wait. She was going to wake up and be able to go and see the halls of Erebor, watch as life was installed in the hallow halls once more. She was going to live, get to kiss Thorin again, smoke old, dried leaves with Gandalf and get drunk off the old fruit of a land she loved. She was going home

* * *

Thorin now sat in the great halls of Erebor. They had been stripped of all gold by his command, the riches were then stored safely in the basements out of sight and out of mind but not before the Bard got his share of money to rebuild Laketown. It had been 29 days since the day of the battle. 29 days gone.

All around him sat the weak and the wounded on turbulent roads to recovery, they were surrounded by kind nurses and intelligent doctors, elves healing humans and humans healing dwarves. All around him sat people who looked like he felt, but he would never say that out loud.

He had spent a few weeks lost in the sheets of his bed, before he emerged with a new mindset. He was a king, and his people were awake night and day either in agony or aiding those in agony. He could remain in his bed for the rest of his life it felt like, gripping tightly onto all the memories he had of three fierce girls, trying to make the time he had with them last a little longer. But he knew he couldn’t remain here forever, so he was going to have to learn to live with the hole in his heart, or die trying.

And that’s where we find him, slumped against a large stone wall, sitting in the open air but still forgotten by the world around him. With great effort, Thorin rose to his feet to fill out hollow tasks. Refolding clean sheets and making unnecessary new piles, heating water over dimming fires and pouring it over the herbal teas for patients who didn’t really want it. Trying to find a purpose for him in these empty days that seemed to run into each other. He knows he can’t help anyone medically, but maybe someone might glance his way and realise that not even the mighty king of Erebor made it out of that battle unscathed. And maybe, in a strange way, that would help.

Crying for Thorin had always been a part of his life. Even at the young age of 7 he watched his mother cry as his father shouted, a worthless argument over something they would soon forget, but Thorin remembered watching from the edge of the doorway as his father slammed his fist against the wall causing a vase of virgin tears to fall to the floor and break, another mess made that his mother would have to clean up. What about his early 20s when he found his sister sobbing in his arms after the memorial service, her black hat tickling his chin as his soul shuddered, the house feeling too quiet as he stared at the dirty sheets of a sick man on the empty bed. And even the moment where he departed the blue mountains with his trusty company and watched dewdrops drip out of Kili’s eyes as he looked to the road ahead of him, it was time for him to grow up.

But crying had always been something that happened to the people around him, and it was his shoulder that would catch them as the fell to the floor. But ever since that day, crying had never been so easy. He was a feeble glass of water, full to the brim, and it barely needed a tap for the water to spill over the edge. The tears burned as they made the way down, and his cheeks had turned raw from the number of times he had rubbed them with damp sleeves

Sometimes he would accidentally brush his fingers against his face and find tears there when he didn’t even know he was crying. Sometimes it was like that, feather-light drops that just continued to spill, pouring out of him as a minor inconvenience. Other times it felt like his heart and gut were knitted together as he curled into a ball, a constant pull of his muscles as his entire body tried to push the pain away when he cried each tear managed to cause a sob that shook his entire body. These usually happened in the early hours of the morning, where Thorin was far enough away that no one could hear.

Thorin drifted in and out of halls, lost in his own home, a ghost of the person he once was. He was waiting for someone to notice him and give him a meaningless job, everyone who did that looked at the floor, not enjoying ordering around the king. Eventually, someone tapped him on the shoulder and Thorin turned around, expecting to see another face that blended in the rest, but instead, he was greeted by the familiar, frantic glare of Fili’s damp orbs.

“You’ve got to come and see this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, some of this might not make sense, I've been thinking about this chapter so long that I might have skipped some answers, if you have any questions feel free to ask <3


	53. A Second Awakening

Thorin and Fili briskly walked together, weaving in and out of sick beds and the drained people who lay prisoner inside them. Thorin wondered what Fili was so desperate about him seeing, but found that he didn’t have the energy to be bothered about it too much, he simply allowed himself to be dragged by his nephew through the winding corridors of Erebor, his feet dragging underneath him.

Thorin during this time peeked a look at his eldest sister-son. Fili had grown wild since that day, losing hours and days of sleep because he simply couldn’t get his brain to stop whirring. He was the only one out of the remaining company that knew that himself, Kili and Thorin were supposed to die instead, and this one thought had completely and utterly consumed him. He had taken up a leading role to busy himself on the days where Thorin’s presence couldn’t be found. He organised the sick beds, he made sure they had enough supplies and he bid his farewells to Thranduil on behalf of the company (he also found rooms for Legolas who talked about leaving with Elrond and Tauriel who decided to stay with Legolas until he left).

Fili had stepped up because he didn’t know what else to do. The pain he, his brother and his uncle were sharing was too deep to be mended with talking to one another, they needed space from each other, they needed space from everyone. But, when you have certain blood running through your veins, you can’t afford to turn your back on the world.

Fili would like to say that he was handling the loss of his three friends well, but by this point, he would be only kidding himself. When the sun was up he put on a dry face, with a soft smile and crinkled eyes, but when the stars prickled across the blackened sky…well, he mourned them.

But it was only when a worried and fanatic Kili had shown up on his doorstep that morning had he been to see them, and that was exactly where he was taking Thorin. When Thorin noticed the place they were heading he thought _surely not_. But as they grew closer, the lower Thorin’s heart sank into his chest. _What was Fili up to_?

“Fili, why are you taking me there?” Thorin asked calm, there was no point in freaking out.

“Kili came to my door this morning,” Fili responded after a beat, Thorin had been a bomb recently, say the wrong thing, do the wrong action, and he would explode, “Apparently he’s been spending his time with them…he can’t seem to leave them alone,”

“Oh,” Another reason for Thorin’s heart to hurt, “But why are you taking _me_?”

“Kili said something was wrong, he couldn’t explain it but…” Fili paused walking turning to face his uncle with unsure eyes, watching carefully at Thorin’s reaction, “He said, he thought he saw them breathing,” Thorin didn’t say anything for a minute, a confusing silence crashing onto the small stone corridor.

“You sound unsure,” Thorin decided to respond with.

“Well,” Fili sighed, walking on, “We’ve all taken this badly haven’t we? Kili’s young, and he’s spent a lot of time in that room, there is a possibility that he’s seeing things. I guess he’s lost all hope so he’s searching for it,”

Thorin walked next to Fili in silence, the conversation dropping off into nowhere. _When did he become so grown up_? The thought rattled around Thorin’s head like his footsteps rattled around the mountain. Fili had a strong exterior on the outside, he always did, and Thorin couldn’t help but think that he would make the best king Erebor had seen in a long while. As Thorin closed in on the room he had left behind 29 days ago, Thorin thought of Kili. Fili was right, the young lad had been through so much trauma in the past few weeks for someone his age. Hope of the girls being alive shouldn’t be a question anymore, the hope they needed was one of learning to survive without them. But Thorin couldn’t help himself from thinking, what if?

* * *

Kili sat with wild eyes and wild hair, he was hunched over stone steps, head in hands, elbows on knees. And when Thorin and Kili walked he scrambled to his feet, more hysterical than excited.

“Kili,” Thorin said coolly whilst looking him up and down, _he’s a mess_.

“Uncle,” Kili responded, his voice short and sharp.

“Fili told me you might have seen something strange going on with the girls,” The word ‘girls’ got caught in Thorin’s throat but he disguised it with a cough, although, the people who surrounded him in that moment were the last people Thorin needed to put a brave face on for.

“Um, yeah,” Kili got out, he sounded unsure, “Last night I was…here, and I thought I saw the girls breathing,” Kili managed to get out. He looked and sounded rather mental.

“Kili…” Thorin breathed softly, “The girls, are dead, I know this is hard but-” Thorin began but was cut off.

“No,” Kili spluttered, “No I swear!” He turned to his brother.

“Kili…” Fili simply said in a pitying voice, he reached out for Kili who simply brushed him off.

“No!” He said rather loudly, “I’ve spent a lifetime of not being taken seriously because of the number of years I’ve walked on this planet. I know how you think of me. I know, that you think that because I’ll never be the king that I can’t act like one! The blood that runs through your veins, runs through mine. Don’t forget that,”

“Kili, we’re not questioning your authority, we’re questioning your judgement,” Thorin said sternly, unfortunately, this was the first time he had felt like himself since, well, you know, “Do you really think you’re in the correct mindset right now to make this kind of allegation!”

“But Thorin-”

“No!” Thorin shouted, a rumble from somewhere in his chest, “You understand that you are disrespecting the dead,” Silence crashed down on the room.

Thorin walked over to his nephew’s quivering form, a silent ghost of the person who had left the blue mountains nearly a year ago. Slowly, and with gentle hands he took hold of Kili’s shoulders, forcing him to look at him.

“I know this is hard for you,” Thorin said faintly, “It’s hard for everyone.” Thorin was searching for the right thing to say, searching for words that would make the sad echo in his sister-sons eyes wisp into nothingness. “But we can’t bring back the dead,” Thorin’s voice was breaking, “All we can do right now is learn how to live with the pain. But Kili…you’re not doing yourself any good by coming back here so often. There has to come to a time where you need to stop looking into your past for happiness.”

“Stop acting like you know how I’m feeling,” Kili whispered, it was a blue attempt to try and put his emotions into words, but Thorin simply took this as an opening to impart some wisdom he had only recently learned about himself.

“I think I do. I think you’re gripping onto nostalgic thoughts to make it seem like the time you had with them was longer. I bet now they look even brighter and exultant than they did before. I bet you’re thinking you can’t ever possibly feel like that again because they’re not in your life anymore,” Thorin wasn’t just talking to Kili anymore. “But, a time will come when you will smile brightly and laugh alongside a group of people who love you.” Thorin stepped back from his nephew with a warm gaze as the wise words from a friend rung around his ears, “I’m not saying it won’t ever not hurt to think of them, I’m just saying that one day the pain won’t consume you so badly, one day you will smile and not be surprised,” The word’s seemed to be working and Thorin could sense Fili’s presence behind him, all three of the remaining Durin’s gripping onto Thorin’s speech, each and every one of them in search for something to ease the pain. This was a moment to remember.

Thorin smiled once more at his young nephew before stepping back a little further and turning to see Fili who was staring right back at him. Fili touched his heart with a soft smile before reaching his hand out to Thorin, an action which he returned before turning away from his nephews and towards the bodies of the deceased. There were at least one hundred more gifts laid out on and around their stones. Notes, flowers, stones, gems and jewels, and so much more. There were more candles as well, they brightened up the room, making it feel less lonely than Thorin remembered it to be. Thorin was just about to turn and walk out, a new comfort settled in his stomach when his youngest nephew once more spoke up.

“I’d still like you to check them,” Kili’s frail voice echoed around the room, “Please…it’ll put my mind to rest,” Thorin felt his shoulders sink a little, but, one last moment of weakness wouldn’t hurt anyone.

Thorin smiled a sad smile at his nephew before turning back to the girls. He made his way forward, picking his way over candles and cards to the closest body, which he knew was Cece before even looking. Bearing himself, he peered down, how long had it been since he had seen her? how long had it been since he had pictured her face? Cece lay peacefully, flowers intertwined in her locks of blonde, the candlelight flickering across healthy skin and plump red lips. She looked as if she were simply in a deep sleep, and yet, there was no air passing between her lips, no beat of her heart no hum of her voice. No signs of life.

Thorin stepped back from the table, again careful not to trip over curling candles. It was hard now, to look away, for a few seconds he didn’t even know if he could. He had spent nights and days wasted on an ocean of nostalgia, the good, the bad and all that fell between, and yet standing here in front of his friend, he observed how she hadn’t changed at all, not one bit. She still had her youthful glow, her features were as soft as always and it hurt to know the ferocity that used to lie between that perfect image of innocence. Thorin was paying such close attention to detail that he could even see a few beads of sweat dancing their way down her forehead.

Thorin stumbled backwards, crushing a handful of gifts as he did so, his footsteps now loud as they echoed throughout the baron room. Cece hadn’t changed a bit in 29 days. Now, Thorin was no medical expert but he was aware from his past experience with dead bodies, that by now, rigour mortis should have kicked in, the body should have changed colour, blistering should have occurred, and a whole other load of quite disgusting traits. Not only Cece, but Frankie and Rosie also were in the prime of their health (well, if you ignore the bump on Cece’s head, the cuts and bruises that pitter-pattered across Frankie and Rosie’s wound).

“Thorin what is it?” Fili spoke from a distance away, arms folded, his featured doused in curiosity. Thorin tore his eyes away from the three bodies and gaped at his nephews with wild eyes, could this truly be happening? “Thorin,” Fili prompted again.

“Get Oin, _now_ ,”

* * *

The entire company stood at the side, breaths being held as no one said a word waiting for Oin to give a final statement. Only a few minutes ago Fili had rushed outside the room, his footsteps echoing further and further away as Kili sunk back down to the floor slowly rocking himself backwards and forwards. Fili managed to get a hold of Oin and, once he discussed the matter in hushed tones, the entire company, minus Gandalf, had made their way to the room, sprinting as quietly as they could.

They soon poured into the room, frantically asking questions as they glared at the line of Durin. And soon, before they knew it, the area was being cleared of all gifts and Oin was setting up to work, taking a medical check-up of all the girls.

“Is it even healthy to think there’s a possibility that they’re…” Dwalin trailed off in a hushed tone as he spoke to Thorin, the pair was standing to the side, their eyes fixed on one point. Thorin glanced at where Oin’s hand was currently on top of Rosie’s rib cage, searching for any breath, Thorin couldn’t see any movement but his hope was not tainted.

“One last moment of weakness,” He muttered under his breath, not sure if Dwalin even heard him. They stayed like that for a while, the company in silence as Oin worked his magic. But, eventually, Oin packed up his medical equipment with shaky hands and approached the group.

“They're a bit bruised n' battered,” Oin stared straight at Thorin as he said this, but his mind was somewhere else, something rushing around his head as he thought frantically. “But…” Oin trailed off.

“But,” Thorin said softly, trying to calm his quivering voice. Oin smoothly came back to reality, his eyes focusing gently on Thorin, his bottom lip quivering.

“They’re breathing,”

* * *

_**1 hour later** _

The room had turned into complete and utter chaos. The entire area had been cleared as high tech medical equipment was rolled into the room, trolley after trolley of sharp metal tools, basins of water and a variety of herbs and essences. Gandalf had been notified of the occurrences and he had rushed down with Lord Elrond and a handful of elves who were the most experienced in medics. The girls now had pillows under their heads and blankets under their bodies, as they were slipped out of their armour, so their breathing could be monitored.

Thorin had turned numb. Everything around him had this magical aura that made his brain ache and eyes burn, nothing looked real anymore. His vision had sunk somewhere back into his skull as everything now had a wishy-washy border and his stomach was constantly churning, turning over and over and over. He had resided onto the steps as talk was happening all around him, people moving, medics calling out numbers that would be noted down on sheets of paper. The world was spinning violently all around him and, yet he could only sit and stare, not able to even begin a train of thought for what he was feeling. Suddenly he was pulled from his dreamy state.

“Thorin,” Came the voice of Elrond, Thorin stood in respect of the wise elf, he’d come a long way, “I have had some of my best medicals reviewing the situation, and they have concluded that yes, the three girls are alive,” Air was quickly sucked through Thorin’s teeth, Elrond, although grimacing continued, “They believe that Rosie, Frankie and Cece are in coma-like states…I guess it’s safe to say that we’ve never seen this happen before, we don’t know what’s going on, but then again that’s always been the case with those three. Right now, we can only hope to learn more when they awake,”

“They’re going to wake up?” Thorin asked, Elrond’s voice was cutting right through the blurry noise around them, searing right into the core of Thorin’s brain.

“Yes Thorin,” Elrond paused as if not sure whether to share this information, “They’re waking up right now,”

* * *

Thorin was currently stationed at the end of Rosie’s ‘bed’. She was just like he remembered, the only differences were those that the doctors and nurses had inflicted upon her. Her hair had been cropped a few inches shorter, it now sat around her neck and framed her face a little better, there was a reason for this, something medical, something Thorin had forgotten as soon as the nurse had told him. Her shirt was pulled up to her ribcage to reveal her entire stomach bandaged thickly, her gash turning out to be not as severe as it looked.

To say that Thorin was scared was an understatement. Well, to say that Thorin was feeling anything was an understatement. It felt as though he was sensing everything at once, like all the emotion that had slowly been rung out of him over the past few weeks had sprung up on him all at once. He was watching numbly as an elf wiped away some of the sweat on her forehead with a clean cloth before grinding some herbs in a small wooden bowl.

He concentrated on how the elf’s hands methodically worked, a series of repeated movements. They had structure, organisation and repetition, three traits that had been missing from Thorin’s life in the past year. But then, the bowl was clattering out of the elf’s hands and onto the stone bench as she turned around frantically signalling for another elf doctor a few meters away.

This is where everything happened. People began rushing around like there was no tomorrow, an excited and confused hum began to grow in the room and more and more people began to crowd around Rosie. Thorin didn’t need a doctor to know what was going on. I’m not ready, was the first thought that came to his mind. God, he spent weeks grieving and mourning and he was sure he was going to spend many more, and now, in the space of a few hours, everything had changed.

“Thorin,” He was pulled from his thoughts by a familiar voice, turning he looked up to be greeted with Gandalf’s wise eyes, “Thorin, we’d like for your face to be the first she sees. Normally, we would ask Frankie or Cece but, well…” Thorin expressionlessly nodded in response. Remaining where he stood at the end of the bed as Rosie was propped a little higher on her pillows.

“We’ve got a pulse,” Someone said, but they were far, far away. Thorin felt the breath being knocked out of him as he realised that _this was real, this was happening_. The world around him came to a standstill, people stopped talking, people stopped doing, people stopped, and they stared. So Thorin scraped out his mind for the right thing to say, words to perfectly express that he was here, right by her and, that he was never leaving ever again. But of course, his mind simply came up blank. So, he settled for a name.

“Rosie,” The word felt weird in his mouth and the fact that he hadn’t said her name in 29 days settled in. Her face, her smile, her weird laugh and her witty words had consumed him these past few weeks, and yet her name had never passed past his lips.

“Rosie,” He said stronger now, something pleading in his voice, and yet she didn’t respond. God how he wished they were alone, if they were alone he wouldn’t feel this heavyweight the status ‘king’ had always come along with, but, he knew that this moment wasn’t just important for him. Rosie was not just his lover, she was so much more to so many more.

Slowly, and then all at once, Rosie’s eyes trembled under underneath her eyelashes before they fluttered open, delicate as a feather. The entire room held their breath as she took low, deep ones, filling the silence with the sound of life. Her baby blues were glossy, unfocused and tainted with confusion as she examined the ceiling above her. Thorin couldn’t take being so far away, he shuffled through the bodies of medics, his heart beating in his throat as he crouched down next to her, his weight causing her to flicker her eyes on him. Her eyes, those beautiful eyes were once more staring at him, but he saw no acknowledgement shining back at him.

“Rosie,” He didn’t know what else to say, he had no other words. The idea that she might not recognise him when she woke didn’t even cross his mind. Rosie simply furrowed her eyebrows slightly as she peeked down at where his hand was gripping on hers. She stared at it for a moment before closing her eyes, letting her head loll back onto the pillow, her eyebrows still intertwined

“Rosanna,” It was a final plea. A desperate note. An unforgiving moment. Rosie’s brows relaxed as her face became once more calm and emotionless, and for a few seconds, it felt as though Rosie hadn’t heard him and the tension in the room neared a breaking point. But then, there was a soft smile and,

“I thought I told you to never to call me that again,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For this chapter I had to look up what happens to a dead body after a while, do not recommend (have you seen the title of this chapter ;))


	54. Busy Brain & Boiling Bathwater

Rosanna Parker sat, alive and breathing, in a boiling bathtub that was barely full. The water was beyond scorching but it felt good, the pain that came along with prune pink skin and shrivelled fingers felt solid and whole, a constant reminder that she was here, that she was grounded in this moment. Yes, it felt good.

Rosie was now 5 days living, and after a horrendously emotional reunion with all those who had come to know her, she found herself shrinking back into the shadows, the dreamish like place that she had been to for the past 29 days (when she heard this she cried even harder) still echoing against the barricades of her brain. She emerged once Frankie woke and again when Cece woke, the familiarity of the scene reminding her of when they first found themselves in middle earth. She cried about this too.

The same thoughts rolled like hills before her, but every time, no matter what thought train she took, she would eventually run into a dead end. As she sat bare naked in the bath, her bruised and broken body numbed beneath her. Waking up came with the price of waking up to a body that had just been in a war. She wasn’t supposed to get her wound wet, so she took time in dipping body parts into the steamy sea before draining it enough for her to sit in.

Occasionally, she would simply close her eyes and listen to her heart beating. Her mind was a mess, a jumble of frantic thoughts and dizzy wonderings, and let’s not forget the mass of emotion that has been drowning her over the past few days. Yeah, her mind was not the best it had ever been.

News of the girl’s revival spread like wildfire around the mountain. She couldn’t simply walk through the corridors anymore without being stopped by excited passer-by’s. At first, she could handle it, it seemed exciting that people she had never met before knew her name, though, she would never tell anyone that. But as the days wore on, she found that she had too much on her mind to be dealing with animated admirers.

She had talked to Frankie and Cece and had found that they had experienced very much the same as herself, the entire conversation lasted throughout the night and as they were finishing the sun was rising over the broken entrance of Erebor, it was the only place where any sunlight could actually be seen.

“When we rebuild Erebor, I’m going to get Thorin to put a balcony in my bedroom,” Rosie had hummed as she pulled the blanket around her shoulders a little tighter. They each told each other about going back to America and how real it felt, the three of them shared a few nostalgic tears as they started reliving stories from those happy days.

They didn’t get time to discuss theories as people were already waking up, the majority of those who were injured now in their final stages of healing. However, the three of them promised to have a think about it and meet up again soon to talk. Rosie hadn’t seen them since.

And that brings us here, to an unnecessarily hot bath and a wickedly messy mind. Rosie had come up with only one main idea that had clicked to her whilst getting dressed, her phone playing a song she didn’t really know the lyrics to. Because they had universe hopped their forms will forever remain in the state of time during the hop, therefore their hair wouldn’t grow. It would also work for any objects that were brought through, such as their phones.

Rosie thought this now as she reached up into her hair, still not used to the shorter layers than the shoulder length cut she had been living with for the past year. It was weird, she was back home, the place where she only really wanted to be (besides earth of course) and yet there was a strange sense now of not belonging. The knowledge of what happened on the day of the crash should have been some condolence to her, answering a question that she felt like she had had since the beginning of time itself. Yet, here she was, more confused than ever.

Due to her busy mindset she had found herself distancing herself from the company and her friends, they didn’t mind, they understood that she needed time to think, they were simply happy to have her back. The celebration is still going on, every night the company gathers in a hidden hall. Candles are lit as they gather around the longest table Rosie has ever seen. They chatted about this and that as they sip on whatever wine has lasted in the cellars, never going to deep into anything as everything right now held some sort of triggering aspect. But it was nice.

Rosie stepped out of the bath, the now noticeably cooler water sloshing in protest. She took her time as she did so, her muscles not having been used in nearly a month meant that every small thing she does now felt like running a marathon. Once she was out she rubbed prescribed cream over her body, well, she was told only on the cuts and bruises but she couldn’t tell the difference.

Once she was done with that, she pulled on the [robe](https://cdn1.thehunt.com/app/public/system/zine_images/9783134/original/1d9110c14613c3d3d6d041a3317bfda7.jpeg) gifted to her by the elves of Mirkwood. After an emotional reunion with Tauriel and Legolas, the former disappeared for a few hours returning with three very large sacks full of the finest elven clothes for the three girls. Rosie couldn’t thank Tauriel enough, whilst she enjoyed the clothes of the dwarven women, the elves had an undeniable feminine quality that she missed, the dresses that she could wear on a day to day basis made her feel like a million bucks. And to be honest, that’s what she needed right now.

As Rosie walked into her room she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and was taken aback. The robe was red and stretched out far behind her with a rich, red fur trim. The materials were that of both opaque and translucent, they were seamlessly woven together as they twisted the length of her body, pulling in at her waist with an adjustable belt and opening up across her chest. She was taken aback by how old she looked. The mixture of such a grand outfit and shorter haircut had changed her almost completely.

Rosie suddenly had the image of her past self, ripped jeans and oversized sweaters, never would she have thought that in a year she would be looking like royalty. The robe strengthened the angles of her body and softly strengthened in the candle light that flickered over the blood-red fabric. And then with a little jolt, she realised that she was no longer a girl, through the months of being on a quest, through fighting for her life and living in hellish conditions, her mind had aged. She had become a figure of wisdom, a strong warrior and even earned a small wealth that could be considered a fortune. She was a woman. And now, her appearance only reflected what was within.

As Rosie glimpsed at herself in the mirror she got a picture of the life that was ahead of her, a life where Thorin bestowed the finest gifts upon her, where she lived out her dream and wore a dress that queens would kill for, jewels that most could only dream about seeing would drip down her throat like blood as she bore ruby red lips and crimson nails, stockings and heels with a signature click. And Rosie looked in the mirror and smiled, but she smiled because she knew that she didn’t need any of that for her to be happy. She just needed to leave her room, walk down a few doors and knock on one of a selection of doors where a bundle of happiness would be waiting.

Smiling softly, she turned to her room where her bed lay before her. Thorin had given her probably the most luxurious room Rosie had ever seen, it was the size of a small tennis court with quite a low ceiling, but in every corner, the word wealth screamed. Gold trimmed headboards, paintings of some of the highest quality, deep red walls, and dark brown wooden floor. There was a dressing table with three mirrors and far too many draws that seemed to be made of gold itself. The bed was not only massive but had an overhanging canopy made from a soft translucent material. And of course, the on suit which was bigger than Rosie’s room on earth, enough said.

Sighing she allowed herself to sink into the bed, the velvety cushions and silk blankets sticking to her ever so slightly damp skin. Allowing herself to be enveloped by the overly thick duvet she squeezed her eyes shut, desperately hoping for sleep to come quickly and put her mind to rest, something that hadn’t happened since before the war.

Tossing and turning she hummed slightly as she squeezed her eyes shut even tighter, sleep refusing to come to her hysterical mind. She doesn’t know how long she lay there waiting for sleep to come, watching as time dragged slowly. But there soon came a point where she couldn’t take it anymore. She got out of bed, tightened her robe and walked out.

* * *

Thorin heard a soft knock at his door and originally thought that he was imagining it. Surely no one would be awake at this hour. Glancing at his door, he came to the conclusion that it was probably a bird from outside and he mulled this over whilst sinking low on his couch. In the past five days, his room had really changed. The fire had now been lit, the sheets changed, and the entire room dusted clean. It was funny, he could now see where he was going now thanks to the blinking candlelight.

Sinking lower onto a plush red couch he allowed his eyes to focus on the dancing flame of the fire before him when he heard the knock again. This time it was undeniable, so his placed his crystal wine glass on the small wooden table before him and answered the door.

Before stood an image that he still hadn’t got quite used to seeing. Rosie stood leaning quite nonchalantly against the frame of the door, her soft hips poking through her red gown, her eyes adverted to the hallway, checking to see if anyone was watching her. When she heard the door open her eyes fluttered to meet those of Thorin’s and something mischievous grew within them.

“I can’t sleep,” She smiled cheekily, Thorin couldn’t help but return the favour.

“Me neither,” He stepped back allowing her to sweep into the room. With her back turned he allowed his gaze to dip and dive over the gown that was coating her body.

“You seem very…”

“Oh, dressed up, I know,” She patted down her robe, now slightly self-conscious, “It was something the elves gave me,”

“You look like royalty,” He softly grinned as he moved closer to her now only inches away. Rosie felt a breath instantly hitch in her throat, her heart starts pounding through her body, and a grin stupidly wide grow on her face.

“I feel like it,” She grinned up at him.

“One day you could be,” Thorin said tenderly, his voice but a breath on his lips.

“Thorin,” Rosie almost laughed as she took a step back looking around the room, taking in his sleeping quarters. She didn’t think there could be a room larger than hers but the sight that greeted proved her wrong. Thorin’s room came across more as an apartment, she was currently standing in what appeared to be a small living room, with plush red drapes, far too many sofas and a crackling fire.

Without saying anything she moved through into the next compartment, Thorin quietly following her. It appeared to be a small kitchen and a small library, where the books had a variety of spines which had a variety of colours.

“You have a kitchen?” Rosie chuckled as she fingered the grates on the stove.

“Being King means that I can’t casually go down to the market and grab a bite to eat,” Thorin’s eyes crinkled

“There was a market?”

“Rosie, there was so much life that used to be here. Markets, shops, playgrounds, homes…there was life everywhere,” Thorin melodically talked, and Rosie could see that his smile seemed a little wider when talking about the past.

“Man, I can’t wait till it's like that again,” Rosie smiled to herself.

“Pardon?” Rosie turned back away from Thorin as she peeked into his cupboards.

“I mean, we are going to rebuild Erebor aren’t we? We’ll invite the people from the blue mountains and have a little celebration,” She stopped peeking and looked up at Thorin, “It will be like that again, you can’t stop it,”

“You sound so sure,” He smiled as she watched her skip to the other side of the room where she let her fingers trace the spines of his book collection.

“That’s because I am,” She turned around and smiled back at him. She then disappeared into the next room, the bedroom. Thorin’s massive bed sat to the left of the room, it too had an overhanging canopy made of translucent material, but the material was blue, Durin’s blue. But the bed was doused with a cool light, not like the warm candlelight in the other rooms.

Turning to her right Rosie feasted her eyes on a window, around the height of two wardrobes stacked atop one another, it was currently open allowing a cool night breeze to whisk through the room. There were pale translucent curtains longer than any Rosie had ever seen before, they were dancing in the breeze, sweeping in a way that was more magical than any scene she had seen so far.

“You have windows,” Rosie faintly whispered as she walked forward, her fingers skimming the soft white material before it danced away and out of her fingertips. Stepping through the magic she made her way out onto a broad stone balcony which was overlooking a small collection of mountain tops that lay behind Erebor, they shone pale in the moonlight and the snow that lay waiting, seemed to almost sparkle. “I thought there were no balconies in Erebor,” Rosie said softly, as she felt Thorin lean over the balcony next to her.

“There aren’t,” He hummed softly, “I specially requested this when I was 20 or so,” Rosie glanced to the man next to her before peering out on the scene.

“It really is beautiful.” She breathed. Thorin moved away from the barrier so he could drink in the appearance of Rosie. A soft smile was creased on her lips, her eyes fluttered shut, her face relaxed as moonlight spilt onto her features. Her crimson gown spilt behind her once more dipping in and out of her curves. She looked so at peace here, maybe there could be a time where she lived her full time.

“I love you, Rosie,” This appeared to catch Rosie off guard for a second, but she covered it quickly with a subtle smile and witty response, twisting her head to the awe-struck Thorin.

“You don’t even know me,”

“Rosie, I have travelled half of the known world with you in the past year. I have spent time with you besides a crackling fire and in the face of an envious enemy. I can safely say that I’ve never felt more comfortable around a person than when I’m near you” Rosie simply grinned at him, not convinced.

“Not satisfied?” Thorin asked, “Fine…I know you because I know that your favourite colour used to be red but now it’s blue, I know that you feel things in extremes and that you secretly love that, I know that you drink tea with a disturbing amount of sugar and I know that you have an accent unlike Frankie or Cece that reminds me of inky pens and fresh paper, I know that even if I didn’t let you on this quest you would have followed us anyways, I know that you love you’re your friends fiercely and would do anything for them, even die for them,” Why did Rosie feel like she was going to cry?

“And,” Thorin continued, growing closer to her, wrapping his strong arms around her smaller ones that were now coated in goosebumps, but it wasn’t from the nip in the air, “I know you miss your home more than you like to let on, I know you have a soft spot for Ori, I know you’re a lightweight when it comes to alcohol, but I also know you make the best pancakes I’ve ever had in my life.” Don’t cry Rosie, don’t cry. “The thing is Rosie,” Thorin’s eyes crinkled in the way that makes her stomach flip, “I know there is still so much that I don’t know about you, that you are an ocean of wonders that I will never truly understand and that each and every day you will find something new in yourself that everyone around you can’t help but love.” His hands were warm as they touched her face, his thumb stroking a cheek, picking up a soft tear that she didn’t even know had left her eye, “I know your eyes from any distance,” He touched his lips to her forehead, “I know your voice no matter how quiet,” Her neck, “And I know your lips in a way that would make the angel of love herself be jealous,”

The kiss was emotional yet gentle, and Rosie realised that they hadn’t kissed since before the war. Her entire body was pressed against his as he held her face with one hand, the other secure on the lower of her back. She pressed her trembling fingers against the sides of his faces, ignoring the tears that now couldn’t seem to stop. The kiss was full of fingers and thumbs, tears and touches, but the only thing Rosie could feel was pure and placid love for the man before her. They pulled away, drunk on each other as they touched foreheads gently.

“Oh we’re in love, aren’t we,” Rosie breathed, her voice whisked away by the wind, winding in and out of their intertwined bodies. Her entire body now shaking against Thorin’s strong and steady build. Thorin simply kissed her again in response, his heart beating rapidly in his chest, something that only normally happens when in the face of danger. Thorin had never really had a romantic partner before, sure when he was younger he was a bit of a lady’s man, but the feeling he had for those fleeting faces seemed almost inexistent to the feeling that was swelling in his chest in that moment.

Giggling Rosie pulled away and grabbed Thorin’s hand pulling him back into fluttering curtains with fluttering fingers. He simply couldn’t get enough of her or the feelings that surged all over his body whenever she was so much as in the same room as him. He could kiss her until his heart stopped beating altogether, and he would still call that a life well lived.

Thorin’s kisses were gently and came in the handfuls, they disappeared along with the length of her jawline, dancing their ways up and down the curves of her neck and even tickling the sensitive area under her lashes. And Rosie couldn’t help but whimper slightly as he nibbled slightly on her bottom lip, this boy was going to bring her to her knees.

They seemed to almost trip over each other as they made their way further and further into the room. Eventually, they tumbled in a heap of giggles and low chuckles onto the soft bed where Rosie’s hands became a little more adventurous and a little more suggestive. Thorin, realising this, pulled back slightly.

“Rosie, we don’t have to-” But he was cut off.

“Thorin,” Her voice was soft, and sounded so good saying his name, “Thorin…I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am right now, in this moment,” She intertwined her fingers with his, pulling him slightly closer to her, “Don’t worry about me, I want this,” A smile that appeared defiant flickered across her lips, “I want you,”

So, Rosie grabbed fistfuls of Thorin’s shirt pulling him back onto the white sheets, her robe spilling out around her like paint as their lips once more connected. She savoured the feeling of his hands, strong against her thighs, his rough beard slightly tickling her upper lip, his hair spilling down his shoulder and onto the bare skin that she revealed when she pulled at the belt of her robe like a ribbon, leaving her there for him to see. Thorin pulled back for a breath and simply gazed deep into her eyes, a soft smile painted on his lips.

“Your wish is my command,”

* * *

Frankie didn’t know where she got lost, but for the second time in a few chapters, Frankie was walking around in circles, no clue where she was going. It was late night, she at least knew that by the quiet world around her.

Frankie had left her room not that long ago in an attempt to search for Kili, the two of them hadn’t really talked things through since their emotional reunion, full of tears and soft kisses and Frankie repeatedly apologising for breaking Kili’s promise stone to which Kili responded by calling her a ‘perfect idiot’.

Sighing Frankie decided to make her way back to the remains of the barrier that was built for the battle, at least from where she could make it back to her bedroom. But as she crept up to the broken gate she noticed a figure standing in the moonlight at the highest point. She recognised him from quite a distance and was one hundred percent sure that he heard her sneaking up on him, but he still jumped when she zapped his ribs with her fingers.

“Don’t do that,” Kili laughed as Frankie collapsed next to him, looking out on the image of what was a battlefield, now coated with a layer of velvety snow. Kili allowed his eyes to look Frankie up and down, his heart beating heavily in his chest, it hadn’t quite sunk in yet that she was alive, that she was standing there, right in front of him, breathing. It was a beautiful sight. “I kind of expect you to be wearing white,” Kili said softly, thinking of the night not so long ago where they were in a similar situation.

“Really?” Frankie smiled widely, the memory of that happy night dancing in her mind.

“Yeah…and telling me all about Sherlock and detectives,”

“You remember that?” Frankie asked softly turning to him, God the things that this boy does.

“Of course I remember that, I remember everything you have to say,”

“Oh Kili, how do you do it? If anyone else said that, it would be creepy, but somehow you make it work,” Frankie sighed contentedly, not making eye contact with the blushing boy next to her. A comfortable silence blanketed the two as they found themselves shuffling closer, soon their fingers were shuffling over one another, interlocking in a way that made Frankie’s stomach burst into billions of butterflies.

“Kili,” Frankie breathed, twisting on her small patch of stone to stare at the beautiful boy next to her. “Kili, you remember that night, where you asked me what my new dream was, do you remember that?” Kili’s breath grew heavy as he stared deep into Frankie’s rich chocolatey ones.

“Yes,” He breathed, bringing their foreheads to touch, “Of course I remember

“I think I know now,” Frankie’s voice was barely a whisper, “I think…Kili, you are my new dream.”

And then they were kissing, their lips and breath mingling into one magical moment. But unlike the last time they kissed, they knew they had time, they had the rest of their long lives to stay in each other’s embrace. And that was the sweetest thing about it.

* * *

“You seem distant, I mean, after everything that’s happened in the past few days,” Thorin said softly, he warm voice mingling with the snapping of burning wood. The two were now sitting on the plush red sofa in front of the crackling fire, delicate glasses filled with a deep red alcoholic beverage that was tainting the insides of their mouths a plum colour.

“I’ve just, got a lot on my mind,” Rosie smiled back, her steady eyes moving from the flickering flame to Thorin.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Rosie thought for a moment, was it wise to share the information she had received only so long ago, she had barely had time herself to think about it.

“Sure,” Rosie eventually sighed, one day she was going to tell him, why not let that day be today. So, she did, she summed up the entire experience in a few sentences, not really going into detail about anything. The only thing that she did talk about a lot was the fact that the portal had opened 18 years ago, and a handful of dwarves had travelled across earth the implant something within her, Frankie and Cece, maybe he knew something about it. Thorin listened carefully, valuing everything that she had to say and only asking questions when she was done talking.

“Do you want to go to the library now?” Thorin asked, Rosie flickered her eyes up to him in question before something mischievous grew in her blue orbs.

* * *

Rosie was currently sitting on the plushest, velvety and purely comfortable sofa she had ever sat on in her entire life, a hot cup of tea in one hand as she scanned her eyes of a large document that Thorin had handed. All around her spread worn paper with thick slanted writing, heavy brown books and small drawings sketched in pencil. The only sound that could be heard was the crackling fire behind her and Thorin a few aisles down, plucking the odd thing here and there from a crowded shelf.

They were currently trying to piece together what happened eighteen years ago, searching through old records and documents and trying to picture the puzzle as a whole. They had been more successful than Rosie originally would have thought.

So far, they knew that a small group of rebellious dwarves who had been banished from their homes had simply disappeared for almost a year around the time. Rosie without a question believed that this small group must have made their way through the portal and would, therefore, be the ultimate reason she was in the situation she was in. Unfortunately, the book Thorin had found this in had said no more about the matter, and there were no documents claiming the return of this group, or if they were ever seen again.

The night was born on, and Rosie felt something soft tugging at her lashes and she found herself yawning now a few times a minute. Slowly the words begin to blur in front of her and Rosie’s eyes flickered closed as she listened to the crackling of the fire behind her and the warmth of the tea within her. However, before she could fall asleep Thorin’s voice hummed around her.

“I just found this, it was tucked inside this book from around nineteen years ago, I don’t recognise the language though,” He said peering down at a large yellow scroll. Then he turned it to her and Rosie felt like she had been hit in the chest.

“That’s my language,”

“What?”

“That’s written English,” She said taking it swiftly from his hands, “That’s how the language we’re speaking in is written where I’m from,” It had never occurred to Rosie that written common language in middle earth would be different to that on earth. But as she looked at the large, yellow sheet, she undoubtedly recognised every single word. It was scribbled rather messily, and it reminded Rosie of the early stages of handwriting in primary school.

With shaky hands Rosie looked down at the writing and began to read, ignoring how the sofa shifted slightly with Thorin’s weight being added. When she was done she abruptly stood, the paper fluttering to the floor.

“What is it?” Thorin asked anxiously as he to stood. Rosie simply turned to him.

“Gather the others, meet back here in 30 minutes,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fili and Cece moment is coming x


	55. The Answer We've Been Waiting For

There was small chatter going on between the group of Gandalf, Lord Elrond, Fili, Kili, Bilbo and Thorin, but they were all treading water, making small talk whilst knowing that in the next few minutes they were going to hear something rather ground-breaking. Just as the conversation was reaching its peak the door to the quite room slammed wide open and quite a frantic Frankie walked in. At first, she appeared angry but when looking closer you could see that her shoulders were shaking, and her cheeks were damp.

“We’re rings,” Frankie chocked out causing a slight confusion to grow in the room, “We’re fucking rings,”

“Pardon?” Came Fili’s soft voice, his eyebrows knitted together. Frankie was about to open her mouth once more, but her eyes grew glassy fast, and she quickly covered her mouth to hide a sob. Rosie and Cece shuffled into the room behind her, their eyes lowered, their shoulders hunched. The small group had obviously been shaken by something quite large. Rosie moved forward and pulled her friend into a tight hug, gripping onto her hair whilst she looked on at Cece who was now turning to the group, beginning the story that they had finally pieced together.

“Eighteen years ago, a portal opened up between this world and ours by pure accident. A small group of rebellious dwarves at the time had stolen seven valuable items from a handful of powerful dwarven families, and they were looking to hide them. This handful of dwarves then travelled through the portal to a land in our world called, Northern America, where they planned to distribute the valuable items.

“But, they were clever…one night they stopped in a field, and they managed to use the magic of these items to gaze into the future, they then changed course, splitting up as they did so. The valuable items were spread around our world, one man even travelled across the North Atlantic to go to England,” Cece shook her head whilst Rosie shuddered, “They then left the portal, returning to middle earth. This is where they wrote this document,” Cece shakily placed the document Thorin had found on the wooden table, it’s slanted writing illuminated by flickers of candlelight, “From this we know that they planned to go back to earth when Sauron was defeated once and for all, and retrieve the items they had dispersed…it mentions that there would be a time where all of the stones would all be in one place, I don’t get this part but…whatever.

“However, the group obviously didn’t understand that by placing something from middle earth on earth that the universes would be pulled back together like magnets, causing the portal to open up again and for some of the items to return.” Cece was shaking by the time she was done as a silence of realisation swept the room.

“My God,” Rosie heard Elrond mutter under his breath, she averted her eyes and fiddled with the palm of her right hand. Everyone had seemed to realise the words that had not been spoken, but of course, Kili was still unsure

“What does this have to do with you being…” He glanced at Frankie, “ _Fucking rings_?”

“Kili,” Fili said softly turning to his brother, “What seven valuable items would a group of dwarves not want Sauron to have,” Realisation dawned.

“So,” Gandalf began, his soft voice rumbling from within his chest, “They embedded one of the dwarven rings of power in each of you,” Rosie again glanced down, she felt dirty, maybe it was because there was something quite evil literally under her skin. “Now, I hate to say this, but there are seven rings…and three of you,” Everyone in the room once more turned to the girls.

“Yes, we’ve um…we’ve noticed that,” Rosie spoke up, her voice quiet but controlled. “We believe that four more people from our planet will be making their way to middle earth, soon…sooner than we think,” Rosie said, the words of herself sitting in a field of wheat echoed in her ears. “But we can only deal with that once they arrive,” The conversation rolled into a new topic seamlessly.

“So, if the rings are implanted in you, do you know where? Can we get them out?” Kili asked, simply curious. The girls shared a look before Frankie answered.

“Yes, we know where the rings are in our body, it told us in the letter. But we’re not going to tell you for our own safety,” This seemed to grab the attention of everyone in the room.

“Why not?” Fili asked, maybe he thought that they didn’t trust them, it was not this group of people that they didn’t trust.

“The fewer people that know the better. Gandalf may have failed to tell you but Sauron is back. And the more rings he has, the more powerful he is.” Frankie continued.

“Also,” Cece joined in, “We don’t know what would happen if we removed the rings, we might be taken back to earth, we might stop existing, the possibilities are endless,”

“What Cece is trying to say,” Rosie took over, “Is that there is still so much we don’t know. I mean, we’re getting all this from one single letter. We’d rather not do anything too rash right now,” Thorin looked up Rosie, she was acting so maturely, being wickedly wise whilst not gloating about it. She’s really grown throughout all the time that he knew her. An image of her face pooled in moonlight fleeted in his brain but he pushed it away, now was not the time to be thinking about what happened a few hours ago.

“Rosie, Frankie and Cece,” Elrond suddenly said, standing a little taller, “You do understand how valuable you are now, you could play major roles in quests to defeat Sauron,” He said, his eyebrow raised as per usual.

“We know,” Frankie spoke, her composure now gathered, “But quests to defeat Sauron will not happen for some time,” She glanced at Bilbo, _the quest won’t happen for another 60 years_ , she thought, “In that time, we will remain here and help rebuild Erebor to what it once was. We will also stay alert for the four persons from earth who will inevitably arrive,”

“Anyways,” Cece smiled, stepping forward and grasping Bilbo’s fingers in hers in one swift movement, “There’s no use in attempting to defeat Sauron until the one ring is found,” Bilbo’s fingers squeezed hers back whilst his face remained still.

“That is true,” Gandalf joined in, also aware of the circle of gold that was currently burning a hole in the hobbit’s pocket, “But when a day comes when we do find the ring, a day where Sauron’s chances seem few…we will need your help,” The girls glanced at each other. The quest to Mordor was 60 years away, should they really be signing documents now.

“And we will be there,” Cece eventually spoke for the three girls, “You have our word.”

* * *

The meeting was adjourned, and the handful of powerful leader dispersed through Erebor to finally get some sleep. But there was one headful of golden hair that didn’t leave the library, one girl that remained, fingering the yellow letter with a distant expression.

“This doesn’t change anything,” She heard a voice from behind her, she didn’t jump, she didn’t turn, because she already knew that he was there.

“I would hope not,” Cece chuckled to herself as Fili slumped down next to her. After Cece was revived the two of them somehow made it to a secure and secret location where the two could talk in private. As soon as the door was shut, Fili had broken down in a way she couldn’t have ever possibly fathomed. He gripped her tight, breathing in the scent of her hair, feeling the beat of her heart. He told her of the past 29 days, how everyone had been acting not quite like themselves because no one knew what to do. How he had been filling in for Thorin and how he couldn’t even begin with the sea of emotional wreckage that lay in his chest. It was an emotional moment, full of crying and kissing and clutching onto each other for dear life, but their relationship was so much stronger because of it.

Fili’s hand slid into hers and she was awoken from her frantic mind, brought back to a reality where his icy blue orbs where staring right back at her.

“Hi,” She whispered, a faint smile traced on her lips.

“Hi,” He responded, his voice but a breath, delicate and divine. “Cece…” He began, “Cece,” He tried again, “You could have Sauron’s beating heart in your chest and I would still love you the same, everyone would love you the same,” He smiled reassuringly.

“It’s not that,” She hummed softly, her eyes turning back to the letter.

“Really?

“Well, maybe just a lil’,” She said, the corners of her mouth upturned slightly.

“Well then…what is it that has you so down?” She tore her eyes away from the familiar scripture to Fili, who said their expectantly, a shoulder to cry on, as always.

“I don’t know…I mean, I do know, but it’s hard to explain,” Her voice was quiet, timid. Fili didn’t push her or prompt her, he simply held her hand a little tighter, a reminder that he was always there for her, no matter what. “It’s just that…” Cece continued, “Now, more than ever, it feels like I don’t belong here.” Fili nodded softly, _go on_ , “I belong back on earth, with my mum…and my dad… _my sister_ …I mean, I’m here because of an accident.” The last words came out barely a whisper and Cece hated how frail she sounded.

“You’re sister? Juliet,” Fili whispered, he was cautious not to upset her, yet he knew that talking about this would help.

“Oh, yeah,” Cece half laughed, “I told you about her didn’t I, at Beorn’s”

“Yeah, you said she was 13,”

“14 now,” Cece muttered sadly. “Oh God,” The image of her sister popped into her mind, a birthday party where there were sugary cake and strong squash, fourteen candles which she would then blow out to make a wish. Cece wondered what she would wish for, for her big sister to come home? For everything to be okay? Cece had suppressed these thoughts for a long time, whilst on the adventure, it was simply easier to not think of home at all, period. But now, now she wasn’t on an adventure, she was here at Erebor for the next 60 years. 60 years was a long time to think of home.

“What was she like?” Fili wondered aloud.

“Amazing,” Cece spluttered happily, quickly wiping away tears from her cheeks with her free hand, “I mean, 14 is a weird age for everyone, but she’s so…wise and mature. Every time I talked to her I secretly became a little more jealous,” Cece chuckled, “When I was 14 I was cutting my own bangs and wearing way too much lip gloss whilst crushing on boys that didn’t really deserve me, whilst she was starting a female empowerment club at her school.

“I’d tell her each day that I was proud of her, but I don’t think she really understood it. I was constantly overwhelmed with her confidence, her willingness to speak her mind…she had this drive to learn everything in the world, music, art, sport. You name it and she wanted to experience it.” Cece had a soft smile as she got lost in the description of her sister. “I love her more than anything, I mean…I would walk through any wall for her…I just hope she knows how much she means to me because…well, I’m never going to be able to tell her again am I?”

“She sounds amazing,” Fili hummed softly after a few moments of silence and Cece grinned back.

“Yeah,” She chuckled, “She is,”

“She sounds like you,” Cece turned to Fili with a soft glance, she hadn’t thought that the love she felt for her sister, someone could feel about her. A love that bore further than schoolgirl crushes and butterfly bellies, a love of understanding and caring and an utmost desire for that person to simply be happy. God, this boy was great.

* * *

Cece wandered out of the library with a promise from Fili that in the morning they would share a breakfast of fresh fruits whilst in bed. She was looking for two people specifically, two people that she knew for a fact wouldn’t have gone to bed just yet. It did not take long to find them.

“Honestly you guys are pretty generic,” Cece smiled at her two best friends as she walked up on them sitting atop the gate, “I mean, I didn’t have to even try to find you,”

“Ah sorry,” Frankie grinned up at her, “We’ll try to be a bit more spontaneous next time,” Cece slumped down next to Frankie, Rosie on the right of Frankie, her back pressed against the stone.

“So…60 years at Erebor,” Rosie’s soft voice hummed, “I can’t wait,” And she honestly meant it.

“You do realise that we won’t ever die,” Frankie’s sighed as she looked out on the scene, “Because we went through the portal,” Her friends had in fact realised that. A silence settled as they thought about it.

“Do you ever get scared that people from home are going to forget you?” Rosie suddenly asked, fiddling with the hem of her robe. “Like, one day you’re just going to slip out of their minds and…never return?”

“Is that…something you’re scared of?” Frankie turned to her friend.

“Um…I guess,” Rosie said after a moment before chuckling to herself sadly, “I think it’s because, I don’t think I could ever forget home,” Rosie realised she was chocking up, but these were her best friends she was talking to, it didn’t matter if they saw her cry, “God,” Rosie sighed dragging her hands down her face, “I wish I could just say goodbye, get closure, y’know,”

“Yeah,” Frankie put her hands in Rosie’s, “But, Rosie…do you really think that your parents, or your family, or even our shitty friendship group, could forget you?” Rosie smiled at her friend and Cece hummed happily on Frankie’s left.

“I guess you’re right,” Rosie laughed quietly to herself.

“You guess!” Frankie happily exclaimed, “Rosie…if it’s any constellation, the idea that, one day you would just disappear out of my life and I had no idea what happened to you, would be something I could never truly get over. Not in the few months, it has been since we left, not in a year…not in 5 years,” Frankie looked once more between her friends. “But, even if everyone back on earth did forget us…even if we just became names on gravestones above empty graves, that would be okay for me...You know why? Because I have you guys, and I have a group of lovable idiots a who are currently trying to not get lost as they make their way back to their rooms. I mean, we really did lose everything didn’t we?” Rosie numbly nodded at her friend, “But look at us now,” The words came out as a whisper.

The three girls tightly embraced, trying their best to keep their balance and not topple off the rather tall wall. These girls had been through so much together, they’d lost so much. And yet, their hearts were still heavy with love and their cheeks still ached from smiling so much. A comfortable silence fell on them as they all thought of the future, their future.

“What do we do now?” Cece asked quietly as she rested her head on Frankie’s shoulder. The three of them stayed quiet for a moment. Just three girls sitting on a wall, trying to begin a life they never expected to have.

“I have an idea.” Frankie hummed looking between her best friends. “Why don’t we write it down…our story I mean, that way, people won’t ever forget us, at least, not the people in middle earth.” The three girls shared a familiar look, before grinning widely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to be updating another chapter today, so look out for that.


	56. The Three Women Of Durin

_That night on the gate was a few weeks ago, I started writing this story that night. Me, Frankie and Cece all perched on a large desk in the library, a pot of tea to sip and stale biscuits to nibble between us as we planned the book we were going to write. Our story was forever going to be encased in the great library of Erebor for all to see, because, whilst the memories of us still live on on earth, in the minds of the families and friends we unwillingly left behind, one day there might be a time when the people of Durin forget this cautionary tale about the three girls who risked life and limb for their homeland._

_The three of us haven’t slept for a few weeks now, constantly thinking about the life we have lived over the past few months. Trying our best to get every detail, every conversation and even every look in the pages of this book. Before us lies 60 years of peace, 60 years to live our lives to the full before we face the dangers of battle once more. But hey, we got this._

_In these past few weeks, Erebor has taken massive strides in progress. A message has been sent out to the blue mountains of reclaiming Erebor and we got word back, they’re said to be arriving in 3 or 4 more months. In the meantime, we’ve bid farewell to the men and women of Laketown, wishing Bard and his family the best lives they could possibly live. Every once in a while, I peek over the gate and sure enough Laketown is being rebuilt, however, it’s stronger and more beautiful ever. It’s doused with the promise of a healthy life where, although every man and women now own a small fortune, money is not the most sought-after possession. Instead, love, family and the idea of home have been pushed as priorities, and it’s bloody brilliant to see them bloom._

_Elrond left shortly after, with his army which was still high in numbers and, of course, Legolas. That goodbye was particularly hard, but myself, Frankie and Cece promised the two elves that we will definitely meet again, they couldn’t escape us that easily. Tauriel, of course, left the day after Legolas did, we embraced tightly but refrained from shedding any tears as Tauriel promised to visit us for tea every other week as she was going back to Mirkwood, where her relationship with the king was now on steady ground._

_Gandalf and Bilbo are still here, doing what they can to help. I can’t really begin to think about what it’s going to be like when they leave, where we’ll live a life without Gandalf’s wise words or Bilbo’s adorable stories, but again, it will not be the final goodbye. We all know this._

_So now it’s just the company once more inside Erebor, and to be perfectly honest, we’re doing great. During the day we clean up Erebor, making piles of different types of stone we have found just outside the gate, ready for when we rebuild. Some of us spend time going into all the rooms, dusting and cleaning, preparing them for life once more to live inside. As gold sickness is not a threat anymore, Thorin, Fili and Kili spend time in the dungeons where the money was hastily stored. They’re documenting how much they have so they can distribute it equally on spending it on things such as food, clothes etc. Every night, we gather around the same table, we share stories over warm meals and goblets of wine before disappearing to our respected rooms, with smiles on our faces and a warmth spreading through our hearts._

_As I’m writing these final notes we’re all sitting in Thorin’s room. Some of the lower-class families are a bit in awe at the wealth that quite literally drips from the ceiling, because of this a few minutes ago Thorin promised to put them and their families in some of the wealthiest rooms in Erebor, it was a cute moment. We’re here because we may or may not have told the company about Christmas and as a gift to us they surprised us with a Christmas tree which had presents wrapped in paper underneath, it’s so thoughtful, I mean, I still have a bit of a lump in my throat. Apparently, they did this because winter was almost ending, so we wouldn’t get to celebrate the holiday until next year, and they like the idea of a tree indoors. Oh God, I love these people so much my heart actually hurts._

_I’m leaning against Thorin’s chest, my legs stretched out across the sofa, my feet falling into the lap of Frankie who has Kili’s arm flung around her shoulders and a lazy smile drawn on her lips. Cece and Fili are sitting on the floor near the fire, barely staying awake as per usual as they lean into each other becoming a knot of limbs and lungs. Bofur and Bifur are sharing an armchair, laughing at the sight of Bombur on the floor as he was too scared he was going to break some of Thorin’s nice furniture. Oin has a piece of figgy pudding (made by Cece) and is trying to ward Gloin of it. Dwalin is laughing into his beer glass as Dori tells a story, Nori secretly stealing a handkerchief from him as he does so. Balin, the eldest is talking to Ori, the youngest, telling him of his plans for the future. And of course, Gandalf is smoking his pipe whilst Bilbo fiddles with his acorn, both of them in quiet, happy discussion_

_I’m surrounded by so much love and so much happiness that part of me doesn’t think this is real like we’re not allowed to simply sit and have fun and that any moment a dragon is going to burst through the gate and wreak havoc on all eighteen of us. But no, we’re here, we’re happy and we’re safe. Hold on, Frankie and Cece are motioning me to the next room._

Slipping out of Thorin’s lap Rosie gave his hand a soft squeeze before she brushed his lips against his.

“I’ll be back soon,”

“You better,” He grinned up, glancing down at her lips before relaxing back down onto the couch, turning back into the story Bofur was telling of the time he took one three orcs whilst heavily intoxicated.

Rosie followed the shadows of her friends through the kitchen/library into Thorin’s bedroom where, once again, the windows were open, and the curtains were dancing in the gentle breeze. Through the pale translucent material, Rosie could see the forms of her two best friends staring up at the late winter’s night sky. Slowly, she made her way outside, a large lump growing in her throat for some reason.

“I can’t believe we did it,” Rosie whispered under her breath as she joined her friends, the setting moon was once more caused the snow to shimmer, “We actually fucking changed the story,”

“You thought we couldn’t?” Frankie grinned widely at her friend.

“No of course not,” Rosie smiled back, “I just thought our story would have a more tragic ending,”

“Our story is not ending,” Cece chuckled.

“Well, I did just finish it less than 30 seconds ago,” Rosie sighed happily, as a soft breeze traced its fingers in her hair.

“That’s our story so far,” Cece said as if it were obvious.

“Well, whatever it is. It better go down as one of the greats,” Frankie hummed, “And we better get a cool name,”

“What?” Both Rosie and Cece chuckled as they looked at their friend.

“A cool name!” Frankie grinned back, “Like the fellowship is called ‘The Fellowship of The Ring’ and Hermione, Ron and Harry are called ‘The Golden Trio’. What about us…personally, I think we should be called ‘The Three Bitches Who Saved the Day’,”

“Oh, how about ‘The Three Earthly Saints?” Cece said causing a laugh to erupt from her friends. They spent a little longer exchanging wild names on what to call themselves, the three best friends who’s love for each other couldn’t perish, grinning widely in the moonlight as the names got sillier and sillier.

“How about ‘The Three Women of Durin’,” Rosie eventually came up with, her voice soft as snow as her eyes fixed on the soft sleet drizzled on top of magical mountain tops.

“I like that,” Frankie said softly after a moment, joining her by leaning over the balcony. Cece then joined her friends, the three of them looking over the beautiful scene before them. The sky was beginning to hum from deep navy blue to a royal red splashed with watery orange and peach pink. However, the stars still managed to prickle through the frothy sky. In that moment, it felt as though the sky was smiling down on them.

“No,” Came the soft voice of Cece. Rosie turned to look at her best friend, and saw a wistful smile on her face, a smile that usually meant she had had a great idea.

“No?” Frankie asked with raised an eyebrow and a grin painted on her face.

“No,” Cece said more sure of herself this time, the sun of a new day reflecting in her eyes as she turned to her best friends, pointing to herself she smiled, “The brains,” she turned to Frankie, “The brawn,” and then turned to Rosie where she grinned wider than all of Hobbiton, “And the bad driver.”

 

 

 

_**Fin** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Could you possibly be crying as much as I am right now?


	57. ♡Author's Note♡

Dear my beautiful audience,

 

Oh God, Oh God, Oh God. It’s done! It’s finished! I’m freeeeeee!

Just kidding. My heart is sitting very heavy in my chest as I write this knowing that when I upload this, at the bottom of the page, there will be no ‘Next Chapter’ button. Ugh, I just shivered as I wrote that. Anyways…

 

I’d like to give a small shout out to the following readers:

Emrfangirl

Liz

Likarian

JennyLynn

jordsy91

 

And so many more!!! I know these guys have been reading right from the start and have even stuck with it when I didn’t upload for months. Also to anyone who ever left a comment I’d just like to say that I probably wouldn’t have gotten to the end of this story without you guys. Every comment anyone has ever left, I have read, and they’re just so motivating so thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I’m so lucky to have such a small yet supportive audience to share my work to.

Also, a massive thank you to anyone who left a kudos, a bookmark (not quite sure what those are but oh well!) or even read the full thing, thank you!!!

And finally, I’d like to thank the person reading this right now. No matter if you’ve left a kudos or a comment, I’d just like to personally thank you so much for reading my story. And I just know for a fact that Rosie, Frankie and Cece will never truly leave my mind, their witty ways and jolly jokes will remain at the back of my mind for some time.

This story has been a huge escape for me during a time where my mental health was low and family issues were high, so if my story provided any escape for you I am _so_ happy I could help.

Oh God, I don’t want to say goodbye!! Am I crying? Probably. Am I going to return? Hopefully. Hotel? Trivago.

I love you all _so so so_ much!!!!

 

Lots and lots and lots of love,

                                                Mango x

 

Also go check me out on tumblr at [exquisitley-obsessed](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/exquisitley-obsessed) <3 I post photo edits of this story and some extra cannon bits and bobs <3


	58. Epilouge

“Rosie?”

It was a distant voice, echoing somewhere in the back of her mind, somewhere insignificant, “Rosie?” It asked again but the girl in question was far away. Her eyes were fixed on the small window that had been added to her room, the sunlight of a new day was lazily tumbling into her room, strengthening along her ruby red walls. In the air, dust particles floated, blissfully unaware as they doused in the light gliding to the dark, polished, wooden floor below. “Rosie!” Something small was tapped quite harshly against her forehead three times causing her eyes to drift over to the chocolaty ones of her friend, “Are you listening? You better be, we’re talking about some pretty important stuff here,”

Squinting through her sun-dazed sight she managed to find the form of her friend, Cece, grinning up at her. She was sitting at the end of Rosie’s bed, a sheet of paper spread out in front of her as she chewed slightly on the end of her pen (the ink pot was currently balancing on Cece’s upper thigh), the item, it seems, was what was used to grab her attention. Cece’s golden mane was glowing in the few rays of sunlight that caught it, giving her a sort of surreal halo that Rosie had to rub her eyes a few times to get rid of.

“Yeah Rosie,” Another voice hummed throughout the silence on that cosy spring morning, “I mean, planning the days we get to wash our delicates really is inspiring isn’t it?” Shifting her head slightly, Rosie spotted the form that was currently wrapped in her pale sheets. It was Frankie, with her head full of coffee coloured coils and a soft smile with shining pearly white, and, ever since summer had approached, a sprinkle of chocolate-chip like freckles across her nose her cheekbones. Her voice, like Cece’s, danced in a soft American accent, slightly muffled by the pillow that was covering her face.

It was late morning and Rosie and her two best friends were having a private meeting in the comforts of Rosie’s own room. These meetings were more personal, more feminine, more vulnerable than the ones they often had with the company. Ah yes, the company. They all have been rushing around more in the past few months, adding the last finishing touches they could to a crumbling city hidden by thick walls of a mountain. The reason, it was less than a week till the people from the blue mountains arrived, and the girls had never seen the company so nervous.

“Cece,” Rosie hummed sleepily as her eyelids fluttered closed, “You know how much I look forward to booking the slot as to when I can go down to the stream and bash my undies in freezing water, but…don’t you think we should talk about something a little more…important?”

“Rosie,” Frankie gasped in mock alarm, “What could possibly be more important than scrubbing the one bra you own against a jagged rock?” Cece simply rolled her eyes at her two friends, however, a small mile still pushed at the corners of her lips.

“What I am _trying_ to say,” Rosie grinned at her friends, “Is that Thorin’s people are arriving in less than a week,”

“So…” Cece trailed off, marking something down on the sheet.

“So, what if they don’t like us?” Rosie exclaimed with as much energy she could possibly muster from someone who was almost slipping off a chair.

“It wouldn’t matter Rosie!” Cece smiled at her friend, “We have the company on our side, I mean…we have the _Durins_ on our side, the people from the blue mountains can’t _not_ like us for long,” She turned back to her sheet.

“But Cece…” Rosie trailed off looking at her friend delicately as she leaned in closer, “The Durins love their people, maybe more than they love us.”

* * *

Rosie, now somehow making out of that ridiculously comfortable chair, was walking through the more habitable zones of Erebor. It was surprising how in a few months she had quickly learned of the architecture of the city under the mountain. She was walking through the room that had been allocated the kitchen by silent agreement, picking up an emerald, green apple as she did so, and she was just about to take a bite of it before a sight walked into the room that was even more delicious.

“Ah Rosie,” Thorin said, papers and pen in his hand as he walked in. He was wearing his normal day clothes which Rosie will never truly get used to. He wore a seemingly huge shirt, one that would surely engulf Rosie’s entire body, and yet the broadness of his shoulders and the thickness of his muscles still managed to fill it out. His hair dangled long over his shoulders as always, but every so often, when he was working particularly hard, Rosie would catch his hair loosely tied in a bun, it was a sight of a side of the king that not many people got to see. He also fashioned loose pants and large boots, however, the pants hung low so if Rosie say, I don’t know, requested him to reach for a book on a high shelf, his shirt would ride higher giving her a view of something quite suburb. Thorin slowly looked her up and down with his icy blues, knowing she was watching him do so before looking down at his papers.

Rosie knew, better than anyone, that Thorin in this moment wasn’t actually reading whatever fruits the papers bore, no, he was just enjoying the moment of Rosie expecting him to talk to her. That was always something about Thorin and Rosie’s relationship. It was the ultimate unspeakable romance. The strongest emotions always came from those of each other’s presence, the feeling of being in the same room as one another and yet never passing a word, the knowledge of what the other looked like behind closed doors. It was like a secret, their secret.

“What’re you doing?” Rosie asked, cutting through the enjoyable tension in the room. It was very apparent to not only to themselves, but that when Rosie and Thorin talked, it often became a game. To experienced players with cards of conversations at their disposal. She then turned back to her apple, biting into the emerald that lay in her palm as she pulled herself onto the small island, swinging her legs as she did so.

“Just paperwork, you’d probably find it boring,”

“Not going to argue with you there,” Rosie hummed as she took another crunch of her apple, leaning back as she did so, allowing the golden chocolate strands of hair she bore to fan out. A silence briefly settled in the room, but they both knew it wouldn’t stay for long. However, it did give them each a chance to once more look at each other in the mid-day sunlight. A thousand thoughts running through each mind.

“What are you thinking about?” Rosie asked, her voice crisp and clear as the first mouthful of air on a winter’s morning. Thorin’s eyes didn’t move.

“Everything that could possibly be running through your mind,” He said, his voice lowering, becoming nothing but a husky rumble. Rosie attempted to push away the shiver that was weaving its way down her spine, she smiled ever so slightly at herself, oh, how easily Thorin could get to her.

“Give me an example,” She raised an eyebrow, almost as if she were testing Thorin. Rosie had never found herself to be a confident woman, she was never outspoken and tended to let others talk for her, well, that was back on earth. On earth, she found that she used to never think about the way a man would look at her, but things were different now, now it was Thorin who was looking at her and she could feel the exact spheres of skin that Thorin was looking at.

“You’re probably thinking ‘this apple is dry’,” Thorin now made his way to the small counter-top, his movements graceful as always. It seemed like he never blinked, almost as if he didn’t want the sight of Rosie to disappear, even for a second.

“How did you know?”

“Simple,” He was so close now that Rosie could feel not only the breaths of his which hit her skin but the absent air that was pulled between his lips, “I had one for breakfast.” In an instant he was gone from her side, picking up his papers as he did so.

“You’re a cruel man Thorin Oakenshield,” Rosie smiled after him, sitting up as she did so.

“Only to you my dear,” Rosie watched as he walked out the door, her eyes lingering on the exact position he had disappeared before snapping herself out of the rose-tinted dream she was currently in. The past few weeks had been nothing but water and sunlight to the rose that was their relationship. Days of time that was in abundance, just lying in bed and watching as the light moved across the walls, walks in the gardens full of hours of letting their minds roam to the wildest of conversations, nights full of white sheets and white stars, a time of exploring each other in ways they never thought possible. They were falling for each other, but it felt more like flying. As Rosie was getting lost in her thoughts of Thorin, she didn’t even notice the figure that had walked into the room.

“Rosie, Rosie? Come on, back to middle earth, back to the land of the living,” Rosie snapped once more out of her dream-like faze to find none other than a prince with a head full of golden curls smiling down at her.

“Fili,” Rosie exclaimed happily, sitting even straighter as she smiled at the pretty prince, “To what do I owe the pleasure,”

“Ah Rosie,” Fili smiled as he placed paperwork like Thorin’s on the counter-top, “Can I not divulge in conversation with you just for fun?”

“Uh, no,” Rosie smiled cheekily, “I don’t think you can,”

“Whatever,” Fili said after a moment, a piece of vocabulary he had only recently learned, “I just came to tell you that we’re having a meeting tomorrow, and it’s rather important,”

“Ah, okay,” Rosie nodded.

“I’ll send you a letter with the time and details,”

“Of course,” Rosie smiled, Fili plucked up his paperwork and an apple before deciding against it, “Good decision,” Rosie commented, the two shared a joyful glance before Fili exited through the exact door that Thorin had. Rosie was left with the thought of how grown up Fili had become in the past few weeks, becoming more and more like Thorin, when Frankie walked in with a pile of paper similar to that of Thorin and Fili.

“Where is everyone getting this paperwork?” Rosie exclaimed causing Frankie’s face to crinkle with both confusion and entertainment.

“God,” Frankie answered, smiling before hastily grabbing Rosie by the wrist, “Come on sweetie, Tauriel and Sigrid are here.”


End file.
